KTM rider Pedro Acosta is enjoying his finest hour of the 2025 MotoGP season thus far, but Casey Stoner has seen one area he believes the Spaniard needs to improve.
The Austrian outfit promoted Acosta from Tech3 into the factory KTM team this term for his second year on the grid. Yet much of the 21-year-old’s sophomore season has seen him take issue with the RC16’s performance, along with Acosta flirting with a possible switch to VR46.
Any switch to the satellite Ducati squad is unlikely to arrive before the 2027 MotoGP season, though. KTM are also starting to relish a more positive relationship with Acosta, after his P3 in the Czech Grand Prix and P2 in the Sprint plus P4 in the Austrian GP and P3 in that Sprint.
Acosta took KTM’s first Grand Prix podium of 2025 in Czechia, and he had top-three speed in their home race in Austria until Gresini rookie Fermin Aldeguer charged through to P2. An updated aero package at the Red Bull Ring also excited Acosta as it helps to turn the RC16.
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty ImagesCasey Stoner thinks Pedro Acosta must ‘dominate’ his KTM teammates
Acosta’s three podiums across the past four races, including Grands Prix and Sprints, further strengthened his position as the top KTM rider in the standings, too. The Mazarron native is seventh in the championship with 144 points, ahead of teammate Brad Binder in P11 on 82.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Pedro Acosta from net worth to girlfriend
ROUNDSPRINT RACEGRAND PRIXPedro AcostaBest KTM teammatePedro AcostaBest KTM teammateThai GPP6P8 – Brad BinderP19P8 – Brad BinderArgentina GPP9P14 – Enea BastianiniP8P7 – Brad BinderAmericas GPP7P12 – Brad BinderRETP7 – Enea BastianiniQatar GPP11P10 – Maverick VinalesP8P11 – Enea BastianiniSpanish GPP10P7 – Maverick VinalesP7P4 – Maverick VinalesFrench GPP19P5 – Maverick VinalesP4P5 – Maverick VinalesBritish GPP8P13 – Maverick VinalesP6P11 – Maverick VinalesAragon GPP5P7 – Maverick VinalesP4P12 – Enea BastianiniItalian GPRETP4 – Maverick VinalesP8P9 – Brad BinderDutch GPP9P6 – Maverick VinalesP4P5 – Maveric VinalesGerman GPP9P6 – Brad BinderRETP7 – Brad BinderCzech GPP2P3 – Enea BastianiniP3P8 – Brad BinderAustrian GPP3P5 – Brad BinderP4P5 – Enea BastianiniTop-performing KTM rider vs Pedro Acosta per race in the 2025 MotoGP season
Yet Stoner feels Acosta needs to be “dominating” everyone else on the KTM RC16, but he is not. Even though he has the best Sprint Race result, average Sprint result, Grand Prix result, average Grand Prix result and the most points out of the KTM and Tech3 riders this season.
Stoner told MotoGP’s website: “Everybody’s different. The way they ride is different. Some people ride on confidence, some people ride more methodically and more with their minds.
“So, I’ve still seen Pedro sometimes find it difficult to beat some of the teammates on the same bike. So, as much as we know he’s an incredible talent, I think there’s still a lot of space for improvement in that area.
“I think you need to be really dominating everyone on the same manufacturer, unless they’re all towards the front. We can see what he can do and what he can achieve. And then you have weekends where he’s really struggling to overcome some of the other people on the same bike.
“So, I would like to see him probably be a little bit more methodical, and use less of the talent, and try and find a way to keep that gap, I suppose, over the rest of the people out on the same bikes. And in that moment, then you can probably find a way to move forward a little bit more consistently.”
Pedro Acosta has led KTM in 7/13 Sprint Races and 8/13 Grands Prix in 2025
While Stoner does not feel Acosta has dominated his factory KTM teammate Binder and the Tech3 duo of Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini this term, the Spaniard has been the top KTM rider in seven out of the 13 Sprint Races and in eight out of the 13 Grands Prix in 2025.
READ MORE: Everything to know about KTM from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Additionally, Acosta has comfortably scored more points than the rest of the KTM riders this year with his 144 to date. His 144 points even put Acosta seventh and level with VR46 racers Franco Morbidelli (on a Ducati GP24) in fifth and Fabio Di Giannantonio (on a GP25) in sixth.
Morbidelli ranks ahead of Di Giannantonio and Acosta thanks to the 30-year-old’s P3 results in the Argentina and Qatar Grands Prix during rounds two and four of 2025. Di Giannantonio also has two P3 finishes this year, to Acosta’s one, from the Americas and Italian Grands Prix.