Acosta fit for MotoGP French GP action after surgery

Pedro Acosta has been declared fit to contest this weekend’s French Grand Prix following the MotoGP rider’s recent arm-pump surgery.

The KTM man went under the knife on the Tuesday following last month’s race and test at Jerez, after finally admitting to a condition that has troubled him since the start of his MotoGP career in 2024.

“The [previous] times I had problems, it was very minor,” Acosta said after getting his medical clearance at Le Mans on Thursday.

“My arm hurt a bit, and that was it. But in the last two races, it felt like my arm was going to explode. Even during the Jerez test, I had to look at my hand because it felt like it was about to split open.”

Given KTM’s general performance problems, which have led to Acosta reverting to his 2024 bike, and potentially distracting speculation around his future, it is difficult to assess how much of the Spaniard’s recent dip in form can be attributed in any way to arm-pump. 

“I shouldn’t use the arm as an excuse, although it has surely cost me some positions,” was the rider’s own assessment. “It was the right time to get it taken care of.”

Arm-pump tends to become a factor over full race distances, but Acosta’s number one issue in the last two events has been qualifying, where endurance is not much of a factor and only a single fast lap is required.

He confirmed at Le Mans, however, that the condition had recently begun to surface even in those short qualifying runs.

“The fact that it happened during four-lap stints at Jerez was worrying,” the Spaniard said.

The 20-year-old has lined up an unusually low 12th on the grid for both of the last two races in Qatar and Spain. He finished the respective grands prix eighth and seventh, although attrition and penalties played a role in both of those results.

While it will remain hard to quantify arm-pump’s impact on his performance of late, a fit Acosta needs a strong weekend at Le Mans if he is to reclaim his grasp on the unofficial title of KTM team leader. Tech3 rider Maverick Vinales has begun to threaten that position of late.

Somkiat Chantra, the other rider to undergo arm-pump surgery since the Spanish GP, will not join Acosta in action this weekend. The LCR Honda rider, who has struggled in his rookie campaign, was unable to recover in time.