Pedro Acosta Shatters MotoGP Front Row Drought: 'This Will Make Everything Easier'
Pedro Acosta is set to start from the front row of a MotoGP race for the first time this season after securing second place in qualifying for the Portuguese Grand Prix at Portimao. This marks a significant milestone for the Red Bull KTM rider, who has been striving for this achievement for 21 attempts.
Acosta's RC16 bike will now be the favorite for the holeshot, a crucial advantage in MotoGP racing. His success comes as a result of consistent performance in recent qualifying sessions, which has made a significant impact on his confidence and strategy.
'In the last couple of qualifyings, we've been doing a good job, but this will make everything easier,' Acosta expressed, highlighting the importance of this achievement. He added, 'Let's see how the race unfolds, as Marco Bezzecchi and Alex Marquez have incredible pace. I believe we're working well, and we'll see what happens.'
Marco Bezzecchi, who qualified for the pole position, braved the damp patches and secured the front spot for the first time this weekend. He attributed his success to a significant improvement from the previous day and a strong start throughout the qualifying session.
'Yesterday, we made a good step forward, and today I was able to maintain my speed from the beginning,' Bezzecchi said. 'I'm incredibly happy and grateful to my team and my guys. Now, we have the sprint and the race ahead, but for now, I'm enjoying the moment. Let's keep working hard and striving for the best results.'
Alex Marquez, who was leading on Friday, faced a setback with a costly late fall. Due to the new restart instructions in MotoGP, he was unable to rejoin the race and will start from the fifth position on the grid.
Fabio Quartararo, from Yamaha, fought through Qualifying 1 to secure the final front-row slot but remains cautious about his race pace. He admitted that he didn't expect to achieve such a lap time, especially in the first session without earplugs, which affected his focus.
'To be honest, I didn't expect to make this lap time,' Quartararo said. 'In the first session, I was without earplugs, so I wasn't fully focused! But we did a great job. I'm really happy about it. Hopefully, we can find some race pace, which is what we've been missing.'
Francesco Bagnaia, currently five points behind Bezzecchi in the fight for third in the world championship, secured the top spot for Ducati in fourth place.
The Portimao MotoGP Sprint will commence at 3 pm local time, with all eyes on the thrilling races ahead.
