Nach dem lächerlichsten und peinlichsten Fehler meiner Karriere gab es keine andere Möglichkeit, den Sieg zu feiern.
After his great success on Sunday, the 22-year-old could afford to have some fun, laying his KTM down on the track during the victory celebration at the exact spot in Turn 2A where he had crashed the day before.
The Spielberg victor said with a broad smile on his face: "After the most ridiculous and embarrassing mistake of my career, there was no other way to celebrate the win."
"I threw this chance in the bin"
He admitted it had been difficult to put the Sprint disappointment behind him.
"It hurt a lot because there aren't many opportunities to be faster than Ducati and Aprilia," Acosta emphasized. He had struggled to understand that he had "thrown this chance in the bin."
But he was the only one who had nothing to lose. "I'm not fighting for the World Championship," Acosta stated.
Another crash relieves pressure
Race Sunday also didn't start as he had hoped.
Ich dachte mir: Wenn ich heute wieder stürze, würde das rein gar nichts ändern.
Acosta had to prematurely end the morning warm-up after a crash in Turn 9. However, precisely this crash helped him to not put any pressure on himself.
Acosta: "I thought to myself: if I crash again today, it wouldn't change anything at all. My last victory was already three years ago."
Not letting himself be rattled
At the start of the Grand Prix, the Spaniard initially had problems, losing two positions at the start and dropping back to fifth place.
Acosta reported: "I struggled a bit to catch up with Jorge (Martin, Ed.) and Marco (Bezzecchi, Ed.), but also to overtake Ai (Ogura, Ed.)."
However, this also helped him to take the necessary time and not rush anything.
No chance for Martin
Finally, the 22-year-old staged a similar comeback to Jorge Martin's in the Sprint the day before.
On lap nine, Acosta made the decisive race-winning move against leader Martin - and never looked back.
Martin had hoped to attack his compatriot again towards the end of the race. "But Pedro was untouchable today. He braked incredibly," he conceded.
"Pedro fought for more than just a win"
The 2024 MotoGP champion is sure: "Pedro fought for more than just a win."
Acosta confirmed this: "It's a personally emotional moment. I had the potential to achieve a win in the last three years, but not many opportunities to do so."
This triumph tastes all the sweeter: "Yesterday hurt a lot, but today it pays off."
More than just a maiden victory
In his moment of success, the 22-year-old looked back at the past year, which was not easy for either him or KTM.
Dieser Sieg bedeutet mir viel mehr als alles andere.
The Spaniard rejoices: "To come back like this and win the home Grand Prix for the entire factory is simply incredible. We tried for a long time and thought about achieving this victory."
He even places his first MotoGP victory above his two World Championship titles in Moto3 and Moto2. To be back at the top after three years without a win, and then in the premier class, is unsurpassed for him.
Acosta: "This win means much more to me than anything else."
