Pedro Acosta has reached the podium at the Portuguese and American MotoGP Grands Prix, significantly contributing to what is one of the best starts ever for Tech3 – not only in the current GasGas Tech3 partnership but also since the beginning of the MotoGP era in 2002.
After three rounds, Hervé Poncharal’s team has amassed 61 points and sits fifth in the championship standings (only seven by the other rider, Augusto Fernández). This is clearly the best start since Tech3 inaugurated its partnership with KTM in 2019. Up to this point, the team’s best performance after three rounds was 18 points – achieved twice, including last year with the addition of Sprint races.
In the Sprint races, GasGas Tech3 garnered 11 points, and without them, they would have 50 points in the championship – a comparison term we will use for historical reference, as Sprint races were only introduced in 2023. Without them, Tech3’s best start with KTM was in 2020, with 18 points in three rounds – significantly below the 50 points the team accumulated this year, considering only the first three main races.
Better than this, only three times since 2002: in 2008, with Yamaha, the team had 51 points; in 2012, they amassed 72 points; and in 2017, they reached 63 points in three rounds.
In terms of actual results, the difference is even more pronounced. Neither with Yamaha nor with KTM had Tech3 managed to secure two podiums in the first three races – an achievement owed mainly, of course, to Acosta, who secured third place in Portugal followed by second place in Austin. The closest they came to achieving this was in 2012 when Andrea Dovizioso started the season with three consecutive top-five finishes.