Pedro Acosta is a name that entered the MotoGP paddock only last year, yet it immediately made headlines. So much so, that people started comparing the name with greats like Valentino Rossi, Kenny Roberts, Casey Stoner, and the most dominant MotoGP rider from the last decade, Marc Marquez.

This brings us to the question: is Pedro Acosta the next “great” in the MotoGP world? Or perhaps even better than the aforementioned names? Well, allow us to answer this.

Pedro Acosta: The Next “Great” In MotoGP?

In the decade gone by, Marc Marquez has well and truly dominated the headlines in MotoGP, be it because of his injuries, controversies, grit, or perhaps, most importantly, his insane speed.

Little do people know, though, that Marquez had a comparably successful career before MotoGP too, as he dominated the Moto2 and Moto3 classes, making the entire field look….well, slow. This is also the case with Pedro Acosta, but only one better.

You see, Acosta joined the Moto3 paddock in 2021 and won his first-ever Moto3 race from…wait for it..the pit lane! Post this, the then-16-year-old Spaniard went on to win the next three races, collecting 95 points from the available 100 points, a feat not even names like Valentino Rossi, Mike Hailwood, or Kenny Roberts could manage since the beginning of World Championship Racing. Following up on this, Acosta became the first rookie world champion in the Moto3 class since Loris Capirossi in 1990.

The natural progression was for Pedro Acosta to step up to the Moto2 class this year, which is one of the most difficult classes, thanks to the high level of competition and only one engine manufacturer. But unbothered by any pressure, Acosta took the Moto2 field by storm, showing lap record-breaking pace in the pre-season tests.

Everything didn’t exactly go to plan, though, and even though the speed was there, Acosta struggled with tire management and consistency initially but made steady progress on the way.

Cut to Mugello (round 8 of 2022 Moto2 WC), Acosta put all the learnings into place to win the race and in the process, became the youngest rider to win a Moto2 race, taking the record from none other than..you guessed it, Marc Marquez.

Judging from such performances, it’s crystal clear that Pedro Acosta is a special rider and is rightly on course to becoming one of the greatest riders of all time. But is he the next Marc Marquez? Well, we think it’s a little too soon for that. Marc Marquez? Well, we think it’s a little too soon for that. }}

Acosta might’ve broken Marquez’s Moto2 records, but let’s not forget Marquez still has the record for being the youngest rider to win a MotoGP world title, let alone doing this as a rookie. So for Acosta to be Marc Marquez (or better), we’ll simply have to wait and see how he does in his rookie MotoGP season.

With the way things are going, though, Pedro’s MotoGP debut isn’t too far, especially if he keeps his Moto2 season going the same way, i.e. upwards.

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