MotoGP: Pedro Acosta Defends Jorge Martin's 2024 Championship Title

Jorge Martin secured the 2024 MotoGP championship by prioritizing consistent podium finishes, a strategy praised by rookie Pedro Acosta.

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Pedro Acosta (31) of Spain and Red Bull Tech3 GASGAS rides during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

In the 2024 MotoGP season, Jorge Martin clinched the championship title, overtaking reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia with a series of consistent performances.

Martin achieved a remarkable 16 podium finishes across 20 rounds, a crucial factor in securing the championship despite having fewer individual race victories compared to the previous year. His season score increased by an impressive 80 points. This transition, from aggressive race wins to stability on the track, allowed Martin to surpass Bagnaia's 31-point increase and earn the championship that eluded him in the final round of 2023.

Pedro Acosta, a rookie in the MotoGP scene and current rider for GASGAS Tech3, lauded Martin's approach. He explained to the media:

“He deserves [the MotoGP title]. He made a super big step compared to last season.

"Maybe he didn’t win races like before, but he was f**king constant!”

“The consistency that I lost, he gained!

“He was super calm. He was not making mistakes, not losing time. He really deserved it.”

Acosta, reflecting on his own MotoGP journey, recognizes the value in learning from seasoned racers. Entering the season as a rookie, Acosta faced numerous challenges including 13 non-scoring races. These struggles stemmed from technical difficulties like braking issues, impacting his standings in the championship. He continued:

“From the beginning of the season, I was really focused on trying to understand how the MotoGP class is.

“We know how fast Marc is. We see how big a step mentally Martin makes. We saw how Bastianini came back. We saw how Maverick with the Aprilia had some [amazing] races that I don't know if [even] they understood.

“We made a lot of mistakes but also had some super nice races, coming back, fighting with the Ducatis. Fighting with guys that have a lot of experience. For this, we need to be more than happy.”

With the 2025 season right around the corner, all eyes will be on how these lessons translate into his on-track performance, and whether the emerging talents can challenge the seasoned veterans.

This comes after Martin released an emotional message to the Ducati team ahead of his move to Aprilia next year. He explained:

“The key was Ducati. I mean, even if they didn't want me for next year, they let me fight with all the same tools.

“I think Gigi Dall’Igna believed in me a lot since I signed in Moto2. Then circumstances in life can change, and... that's why I never arrived to that [factory Ducati] team. But this is life.

“The key was that they let me [fight equally] - I'm so grateful to [Ducati CEO] Claudio Domenicali because nobody in this [press conference] room, I think, thought that they would let me [win].

“They let me fight, and I'm so grateful to them.”