Pedro Acosta’s Qatar Grand Prix slipped away from a potential podium fight when a persistent front-tyre pressure problem restricted his race. The KTM rider was among the podium contenders before moving aside at the start of lap six to let Marc Marquez take third. He later ceded positions to Ai Ogura and Enea Bastianini to keep the front tyre within the legal pressure limit, leaving him sixth at the chequered flag.

Acosta did not put Sunday’s problem down to a KTM error. He said every KTM had used the same strategy and that the other bikes had completed the race without the same difficulty. His own front tyre, however, remained unusually cold, and he described the issue as constant. It was also not entirely new for the rider, who had faced a similar problem at the Indonesian Grand Prix while fighting Marquez.

Pressure management dictated the result

The trouble became worse while Acosta was ahead of Marquez. He spent some time behind the rival in an effort to build tyre temperature, but Marquez then increased the pace and left Acosta riding in isolation. The problem returned, forcing him to let Ogura through and then give way to Bastianini before he could reach a safer situation for the tyre pressure.

Acosta said his pace should have been enough for a solid fourth place, close to the podium, without the tyre issue. He also said the race data now needed to be checked to understand what happened. The result therefore reflects more than the KTM’s outright speed: managing the front tyre turned a competitive Qatar race into a sixth-place finish. Acosta had also felt KTM was too conservative with its pressures in the Qatar sprint, but he did not consider the brand responsible for Sunday’s problem.