Pedro Acosta explains Q1 relegation, hopes Jerez is worst race of 2026

While Enea Bastianini showed KTM had a bike capable of getting through Q2, Pedro Acosta failed to put together a clean lap in practice

Pedro Acosta pointed to tyre grip and braking issues at Jerez after missing out on a direct place in Q2 for the first time in the 2026 MotoGP season.

Acosta was unusually off the pace during Practice for the Spanish Grand Prix, finishing a distant 15th aboard the factory KTM.

After bolting on a fresh soft rear tyre late in the session, the Spaniard lit up the timesheets on two separate occasions but failed to complete a clean lap each time. He also nearly-suffered a highside at Turn 6, the tricky right-hand hairpin which marks the heaviest braking zone at Jerez.

While Acosta managed to deliver a late improvement, it wasn’t enough for a Q2 berth, missing out by a tenth of a second to fellow KTM rider Enea Bastianini.

Explaining what went wrong on Friday, the 21-year-old suggested his struggles at Jerez could be track-specific.

“It’s hard to understand, because I only get these ‘normal’ feelings here [and not elsewhere],” he said. “Hopefully, this will be the worst grand prix of the year and then we can carry on in the vein we were in.

“I think with that tyre [that gave me the scare], for some reason, I would have made it into Q2, because I was going much faster than with the second one [the one he fitted afterwards].

“For some reason, I had more grip than on the second attempt. We need to understand what’s going on, why we’re struggling so much to brake; it seems to be our weak point on this circuit.”

Five out of six Ducatis safely progressed into Q2 on Friday, while all four full-season Aprilias were also classified inside the top 10.

That left just one spot for a non-Italian bike on the grid, which eventually went to Bastianini on the Tech3-entered RC16.

While last year’s winner Alex Marquez enjoyed a three-tenth advantage at the front aboard the Gresini Ducatis, the rest of the field was separated by fine margins.

“The fact that everything is so close makes [missing out on Q2] seem even worse, because in the end, with a two tenths of a second improvement, you could end up third,” he admitted. “But anyway, there’s work to be done for tomorrow."

Acosta will face the entire Honda and Yamaha contingents in Q1 on Saturday, along with his team-mate Brad Binder and VR46 Ducati’s Franco Morbidelli.

He acknowledged the importance of qualifying at Jerez, particularly with tyre pressure regulations expected to make overtaking difficult in the race.

“Q1 will be everything, provided it doesn’t rain on Sunday,” he said. “The thing is, quite often, getting through to Q2 via Q1 is much harder than qualifying directly. Let’s see if we can make a step forward, but it’s true that it’s going to be a tight battle, because I’ve seen that Joan Mir, Brad Binder, Franco Morbidelli - who always springs a surprise - and Fabio Quartararo are all there.

“The race pace hasn’t been bad, especially in practice, but if we start 15th, having a good pace won’t be of much use. We’ll have to make the best of it tomorrow."