Acosta: KTM Engine Fix Won't Bring Big Performance Leap

Pedro Acosta has downplayed expectations that KTM's engine fix, which has been approved by rivals, will deliver a significant performance boost. The Austrian factory has received permission to open its engines and replace faulty parts that caused the RC16s to suddenly shut down, but the fix won't be ready for this weekend's British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

KTM will continue with interim solutions, meaning a loss of engine performance—most evident on MotoGP's fastest straight at Mugello. However, Acosta insists that returning to full engine performance, now targeted for Aragon later this month, won't mean a sudden leap forward.

“Sure, we have some [engine] limitations after the problems that all KTMs were having in Barcelona,” Acosta said at Silverstone on Friday. “That is clear because in Barcelona we were not super slow. And remember how slow we were [next time] in Mugello... Sure, it's missing some performance, but nothing that will give us three tenths.”

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Acosta ended Friday in tenth place, one second off the pace. Despite that, he remains confident that a top-three championship finish is still possible if he and KTM maximise their potential. “KTM is working super hard to make it not happen, all the mistakes that we were having during the first part of the season, because at the end we are not that far from the top three,” he said.

“For this, I said to them, okay, we have to still believe, but also we still need to not lose points for free. They, and I, am quite convinced also that top three is still realistic, if we don't make many mistakes from my side and from the technical side. For this, now it's a matter of collecting points, don't make a disaster in the bad days and make good races when it’s the moment.”

Acosta currently sits seventh in the championship, 42 points behind third-placed Marco Bezzecchi . Unfortunately, he crashed twice on Friday at Silverstone but still secured direct access to Qualifying 2. “We knew that this track was going to be tough for my style and the bike, and last year we qualified 14th,” he explained.

“For this, I think we can be satisfied. It's also true that I think we still have space to improve. But it was quite difficult to get into the rhythm after the second crash. Normally I don't have this kind of, I would call it chatter. And being honest, it surprised me. Something caused the chatter, but anyway, we just have to check it and see how to not make it happen tomorrow.”

Tech3's Enea Bastianini was one place behind Acosta on the timesheets, while factory team-mate Brad Binder, who also fell, was left in 18th. Maverick Vinales' replacement Pol Espargaro was 21st.