Pedro Acosta is one of the latest Spanish stars to shine in MotoGP, so Full Oversteer has taken a look into everything that you need to know about the young sensation.
The Spaniard smashed the ground running to make headlines from the moment that Acosta debuted in the world championship in Moto3. After his second place in the season-opening Grand Prix of Qatar, Acosta won the 2021 Grand Prix of Doha despite starting in the pit lane.
Acosta was slapped with a pit lane start for his second Moto3 race, but made series history in Doha as the first rider to ever recover from that penalty to still win a race. It immediately proved he was the class of the field and Acosta would lift the 2021 Moto3 title by 43 points.
Many expected Acosta would immediately challenge for the Moto2 title as a rookie in 2022, as well. Instead, it took him a season to adapt to the heavier bikes in the intermediate class. Acosta then won the 2023 Moto2 title by 83 points and graduated again to MotoGP in 2024.
Pedro Acosta is the ‘new Marc Marquez’ in MotoGP
Acosta’s rise from Moto3 to MotoGP, winning two world championships on his way, kept the spotlight on the Spaniard. Many even consider Acosta to be the ‘new Marc Marquez’, which he finds a source of pride as his compatriot won six MotoGP titles for Honda from 2013-19.
His rise into MotoGP aboard a satellite KTM RC16 at Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 in 2024 was a walk in the park for Acosta. But a lot had already been expected of the Spaniard long, long before Acosta joined the premier class after displaying his skill as early as 2017 in PreMoto3.
Acosta sealed the PreMoto3 title with two rounds to spare in 2017 and won another title on his rise through the junior categories with the 2020 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup crown. He dominated the Rookies Cup with six wins in the first six races and took the title by 64 points.
No matter the championship, Acosta was often the class of his field as he moved closer and closer towards MotoGP. Rumours even started to swirl in the world championship paddock he could go from Moto3 into the premier class after his pit lane to victory lane win in Doha.
Ultimately, Acosta had to go the traditional route and move up to the intermediate class as the Moto3 champion. But it meant Acosta would make Moto2 history as the youngest rider to win an intermediate class race with his victory at Mugello in the 2022 Grand Prix of Italy.
Breaking his left femur in a training accident and requiring surgery in June 2022 put a dent in Acosta’s rookie campaign in Moto2. The Spaniard was just starting to find his feet in the intermediate class before the incident following a win in Italy plus third place in Germany.
The Moto2 title then awaited Acosta in 2023 as he took a second world championship with two rounds to spare. A spot on the MotoGP grid was then his with GASGAS Tech 3, as KTM ensured Acosta did not slip through their fingertips after overseeing his career since Moto3.
Acosta rode for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team throughout his time in Moto3 and Moto2. Life in MotoGP aboard a KTM at Tech3 often proving a breeze also secured Acosta a factory KTM ride for 2025. It took him two premier class races for Acosta to secure a podium in Portugal.
But who really is Acosta and what is the MotoGP hotshot’s life outside of the premier class actually like? Full Oversteer takes a dive into everything you need to know about Acosta…
Who is Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider Pedro Acosta?
Pedro Acosta is a motorcycle racer from Spain, currently riding for the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing MotoGP team. Acosta switched to the factory KTM team for the 2025 season, taking the ride Jack Miller enjoyed, after signing a multi-year contract in June 2024 to leave Tech3.
How old is Pedro Acosta? When was he born?
At the time of writing, Pedro Acosta is 20 years old and he was born on May 25, 2004.
Pedro Acosta has two sisters and his dad is a fisherman
The family of Pedro Acosta have often been a major source of support for the Spanish talent during his rise up the ranks. His dad – who was a fisherman – and mum – who raised Acosta along with his sisters – were instrumental to him first starting a career as a motorcycle racer.
Acosta’s dad bought Pedro his first motocross bike aged five to gauge any interest in racing. Pedro is the youngest of the Acosta siblings with his sisters Miriam and Maria five and nine years his elder. His sisters even attended Acosta’s races from an early age to show support.
Where was Pedro Acosta born? What is his nationality?
Pedro Acosta was born in Mazarron, a municipality in the province of Murcia in south-east Spain. Mazarron is the 11th-largest municipality in Murcia with a population of just 33,000.
How tall is Pedro Acosta? What is his height in feet?
Standing at a height of 1.71 metres tall, Pedro Acosta measures in at 5 ft 7 in feet.
Meet Pedro Acosta’s girlfriend, Desiree Piqueras
Pedro Acosta has not publicly shared that he has a girlfriend but has reportedly been dating Desiree Piqueras since February 2024. Desiree is a sportswoman in her own right and is also the sister of fellow Spanish motorbike racer, Angel Piqueras, who debuted in Moto3 in 2024.
Pedro Acosta’s net worth
No reputable publications currently cite up-to-date valuations for Pedro Acosta’s net worth. But online estimates place Acosta’s net worth in the region of £1m as of the 2024 campaign.
Why Pedro Acosta chose 31 as his permanent MotoGP race number
Due to Augusto Fernandez – who was Pedro Acosta’s teammate at Red Bull GASGAS Tech3 in his rookie MotoGP season – taking the 37 plate on his bike since his debut in 2023, the Spaniard had to pick a new race number after winning the Moto2 and Moto3 titles using 37.
So, Acosta elected to run the 31 plate on his bike when graduating to MotoGP having earlier hinted about plans to select a similar permanent race number to 37. It was even the second time that Acosta had to pick a different number after running 51 in the 2022 Moto2 season.
What’s been said about Pedro Acosta? Is he any good?
Praise has often followed Pedro Acosta throughout his rise towards MotoGP and also during his time in the premier class. The Spanish sensation has frequently got tongues wagging and left fans stunned. Pundits have likened Acosta to Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi, as well.
Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, who went toe-to-toe with Rossi as teammates at Yamaha, is one legend to praise Acosta. He noted in July 2024: “I would only give him one piece of advice: be careful with crashes, a serious injury could cut short a career.
“He has qualities from Casey Stoner and Valentino Rossi [with] the charisma, And also from Marc Marquez [with his] ambition and believing in himself.”
One-time World Superbike champion Neil Hodgson was also full of praise for Acosta before his MotoGP debut at the 2024 Grand Prix of Qatar. Hodgson declared in March 2024: “I’m a massive fan. I mean, just think about this – he’s only 19 years old.
“At this point in his career, he is the most successful rider that there has ever been because he won his first ever World Championship in his first season at 16. Then, the next year, he went straight into Moto2 and broke his femur.
“But he still won races and finished fifth in the world, then he won the world championship last year. So, in the three years of Grand Prix racing that he’s done, he’s won two world championships. No one’s ever done that. Nobody.”
Pedro Acosta’s Grand Prix career racing stats
Pedro Acosta has registered a sensational career on the world championship stage since the Spaniard secured the Moto3 title as a rookie in 2021, before going on to also win the Moto2 crown in 2023 and also then graduating to the premier class by debuting in MotoGP in 2024.
2018 FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship: 4 races, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 poles
2019 FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship: 5 races, 0 wins, 0 podiums, 0 poles
2020 FIM CEV Moto3 Junior World Championship: 11 races, 3 wins, 8 podiums, 2 poles
2021 Moto3: 18 races, 6 wins, 8 podiums, 1 pole position, 1 title
2022 Moto2: 18 races, 3 wins, 5 podiums, 1 pole position
2023 Moto2: 20 races, 7 wins, 14 podiums, 3 pole positions, 1 title
2024 MotoGP: 20 races, 0 wins, 5 podiums, 1 pole position