The Tech3 GasGas rider – who turned 20 over the Barcelona weekend – scored a second sprint podium of the season on Saturday and was in the rostrum hunt again in the grand prix.
Acosta was running in second behind Pramac’s Jorge Martin when he crashed at Turn 10 on lap 11 of 24. The Spaniard remounted and finished 13th.
A disappointed Acosta said of his crash: “We had a problem with the front part of the bike that’s not so clear. It’s difficult to say why.”
He added that it was not related to front tyre pressures.
It marked his second successive crash in a grand prix while having pace to fight for the podium, which is a positive he is drawing from even if he is frustrated about not fulfilling that potential.
“At the end, we need to see that Le Mans and here [at Barcelona] were the only two weekends where I was constantly at the top,” said Acosta, who started from fifth.
“I was fast alone, I was able to pass to Q2 alone, I was able to make a normal qualifying.
“Discounting the crashes, it’s the best weekend of the season so far.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“The bike was a bike to be on the podium. For this, I am quite angry because I don’t really like to put a podium in the bin. But the bike was competitive again.”
Acosta was one of only four riders to gamble on the soft rear tyre, as the rest went for the medium.
Marc Marquez used this strategy to go from 14th on the grid to third. Acosta felt that was the tyre to win the race with and was on course for a minimum of third even if his grip faded.
“Yeah,” he replied when asked if he was happy with his tyre choice.
“Was the tyre… I don’t know, maybe Marquez overheated the tyre a bit because he was in the back of this front group.
“I don’t really know where, but he lost more time [than in the sprint] to overtake the guys.
“But for me, it was the tyre to win. I will not say I was going to beat Pecco [Bagnaia] and Martin.
“But with the pace I had, and the gap I had between Pecco and Marc at the back of the group, we were half a second faster. So, worst case was P3.”
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