Pedro Acosta is not your average teenager. That much is clear from the achievements already racked up in a ridiculously short grand prix career. Not just anyone bags their first win in their second-ever grand prix. Nor do they claim the title at their first attempt, at just 17 years and 166 days of age, the second youngest in history. And after starting the year like a house on fire, he’s the hands-down favourite to add the Moto2 title to his honours list in 2023.
But in this world, more than achievements are required to really stand out from the crowd. What earmarked Acosta for the very top was the manner in which he achieved the above. It’s one thing winning your second-ever race. But doing it when starting from the pitlane? Come on. Likewise, teenagers have won six of the 11 Moto3 titles. But lifting the crown by banging ’bars with your chief rival in the penultimate race just hours after winding him up with a cheeky wave? Again, something out of the ordinary.
There are a few stories that indicate Acosta is wiser than his years. Ahead of a crucial face-off with championship rival Raul Fernandez in the penultimate race of 2021, Remy Gardner received some last-minute words of encouragement from his close pal, then just 17.
“[He told me] ‘there are moments that define you, or you define the moment’,” Gardner later recalled. “A philosopher and he’s like this little kid. I was like, ‘Yeah, alright (laughing)’!” As Kevin Schwantz said of his first meeting
