Pedro Acosta questioned the decision to continue the MotoGP Catalan Grand Prix after several major incidents in Barcelona.
Acosta headed into the Catalan Grand Prix with high hopes of securing his first premier class victory in a Grand Prix.
However, whilst leading the way at the Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, the Spaniard experienced a technical issue with his KTM.
The problem triggered a chain reaction that caused Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio to crash, bringing out the red flag.
Marquez came off the worst of the three and was transported to the hospital in Barcelona, where he was diagnosed with a broken right collarbone and a fracture of his C7 vertebrae.
Chaos continued after the restart, as another multi-rider incident at Turn 1 involving Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini, and Johann Zarco immediately forced officials to stop the race again.
After a second restart, the race was able to reach the chequered flag, but Acosta was not, as on the final lap of the race, he was involved in a collision with Ai Ogura.
When speaking to Speedweek after the Catalan Grand Prix, Acosta said, “I can’t say what happened technically when my motorcycle stalled.”
“Presumably, there was an electronics failure. It was too late to avoid it. I’m very sorry about what happened, but I couldn’t prevent it.
“I don’t want to say anything more about the race. There are more important things. It seems that Johann and Alex had the biggest problems today, and I can only think of them right now.”
Pedro Acosta to raise restart concerns with the Safety Commission
With two riders already in hospital, questions were raised over whether the Catalan Grand Prix should have continued following the incident involving Bagnaia, Marini and Zarco.
While Acosta understood why race officials elected to resume proceedings, the KTM rider admitted he was left questioning the decision — something he intends to raise with the Safety Commission.
When discussing the third start, Acosta stated, “Quite honestly – that wasn’t necessary. I understand the show has to go on, but in my opinion: if two riders are already in the hospital, why do we have to start a third time?
“I will definitely raise this with the Safety Commission. I have some experience in this paddock, and this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this. Of course, there’s a lot of adrenaline involved, but today I was part of the drama; it wasn’t a good day.”
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