Acosta participated in various national competitions, winning in 2017 in the PreMoto3 category. In 2018 he entered the Junior Moto3 World Championship. In 2019 he also raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finishing second, winning three races. He finished as champion the following year, winning six races in total, all six coming consecutively at the first six races of the season.[3]
Moto3 World Championship
In 2021, Acosta made his debut racing in Moto3 class with the Red Bull KTM Ajo team. In his first race in Qatar, he finished in second place, becoming one of just a handful of riders to score a podium on their Grand Prix debut. On 4 April 2021, he won the Doha Motorcycle Grand Prix starting from pitlane, becoming the first rider in the history of Moto3 to accomplish this feat.[4][5] Acosta would later win the next two races in Portugal and Spain, becoming the first rider in Grand Prix history to get on the podium in all of his first four races. He would win three more races during the season, in Germany, Styria, and Algarve, becoming champion in Algarve, when Darryn Binder crashed into Acosta's main title rival Dennis Foggia. He won the championship by 43 points, and became the first rookie champion of the Moto3 class since 1990, when Loris Capirossi won the 125cc title. Acosta was only one day older (17 years, 166 days) than Capirossi (17 years, 165 days) when they won their respective titles.
Moto2 World Championship
Red Bull KTM Ajo (2022–2023)
Acosta was promoted to Moto2 with the same team in 2022, joining compatriot Augusto Fernández who also moved from Marc VDS Racing Team.[6] He recorded his first Moto2 win during the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello.[7] After missing two rounds due to a broken femur sustained in a training accident,[8] he won another race in Aragón.[9] Acosta won the 2023 Moto2 World Championship.
Acosta was promoted to MotoGP for 2024 with Red Bull GasGas Tech3.[10] He impressed in Qatar as he finished eighth in the sprint and ninth in the race, where he was as high as fourth, but slowed due to tyre degradation.[11][12] In Portimao, he achieved a podium in the main race, having overtaken experienced riders Brad Binder, Marc Marquez (both in turn 1), and Francesco Bagnaia (in turn 3).[13][14] At the Circuit of the Americas, he fought Marquez again, as well as Jorge Martin only to finish fourth in the sprint, but in the main race he led a race for the first time and made moves that would have seen either a rider go wide on the exit of the corner or crash, he finished second behind Maverick Vinales.[15][16] After a long period without podium, he manage to finish third of the sprint race and the main race of the Aragon GP.[17][18] Acosta also scored his maiden premier class pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix. He finished sixth overall in his first MotoGP season, only two points behind factory rider Brad Binder.
Acosta remained with the factory KTM team in 2026. He won the opening sprint race of the season in Thailand, and finished second in the main race, becoming the first KTM rider ever to lead the MotoGP World Championship.
Career statistics
Career highlights
2017: 1st, FIM CEV PreMoto3 Championship
European Talent Cup
Races by year
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position, races in italics indicate fastest lap)
