Moto2: How did Pedro Acosta win the title?

Pedro Acosta was crowned the 2023 Moto2 World Champion with two rounds remaining, but how did he do it?

The 2023 season was Pedro Acosta’s second year in the Moto2 class, after joining the Championship in 2022 – after becoming Moto3 Champion in 2021. After one year of learning the class, he flourished in his second season. The Spaniard took seven race wins in 2023, with three pole positions.

The season began in Portimao, the technical circuit located in the Algarve which replaced the Lusail circuit due to renovations. The round in Qatar was moved to the penultimate round of the season.

In Portimao, Acosta was off to a flying start, winning his first race in the first round of the season. In the first four races of the season, the 19-year-old claimed three podiums including two race wins. It was a tense start to the season when leaving Jerez both Acosta and Arbolino were tied on points.

Tony Arbolino entered his second season with the Elf Marc VDS Racing Team and came into 2023 confident after a fourth-place finish in the 2022 Championship. Arbolino was in the title fight thanks to his consistency and one-race win.

After a DNF in Le Mans, Acosta’s form began to build – claiming another five podiums in a row. Included in this was a back-to-back win in Mugello and the Sachsenring which allowed a comfortable 15-point gap.

It became apparent mid-season that Acosta wanted to make the jump into MotoGP for the 2024 season. This was made difficult when KTM was not allowed any more bikes on the grid (currently four). The decision would be made throughout the season depending on their current rider’s results.

In Silverstone Fermin Aldeguer was the rider who was on the top step of the podium for the first time. This would be a crucial point in the season, with Aldeguer showing how dominant he can be.

Challengers arise

After a spectacular run of results, Acosta was feeling strong after the summer break where he became the rider to beat in the intermediate class. He was off the podium in Catalunya for the first time since France. This time it was Britain’s Jake Dixon who took pole and the win one day later.

He was not off the podium long, with a return to the top step at the San Marino Grand Prix in September. This was the final round of the season before the intense flyaway leg of the season.

The paddock flew to India for the inaugural Indian GP for the start of eight Grand Prix races in just 10 weekends. This did not affect Acosta, where he went on to claim a further two race wins.

After the Indonesian Grand Prix, Pedro Acosta led the Championship by 65 points with the title looking to go his way. The next round in Australia would be unique, with Arbolino winning in a half points race. Due to the rain that Australia suffered on race day, the Moto2 was cut short due to high winds and rain.

Fermin Aldeguer also began to make his presence known, finishing on the podium in Indonesia and Australia. Aldeguer won in Thailand before the historic Malaysian Grand Prix at Sepang.

Pedro Acosta was the 2023 Moto2 Champion

It was the first opportunity for Acosta to wrap up the Moto2 World Championship in Malaysia after an impressive season. With a second-place finish and Arbolino only managing six points due to first-lap issues. This was enough for Pedro Acosta to win his second world title, in his second year in Moto2.

It was also announced that he will join the GASGAS squad next year in MotoGP and will replace MotoGP veteran Pol Espargaro. It was an unlucky season for Espargaro, as he was out due to injury at the opening round and would not return until after the summer break at Silverstone. Acosta next year will race alongside fellow Spaniard Augusto Fernandez (2022 Moto2 Champion).

For the rest of the year, Fermin Aldeguer dominated winning the last four races in a row, showing his talent. Aldeguer will remain in Moto2 next year with many wondering if he can beat Acosta’s seven wins.

Image credit: Red Bull Content Pool