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Neil Hodgson declares Pedro Acosta 'second-best motorcycle rider in the world' after Portugal Grand Prix Sprint second-placed finish
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Published 08/11/2025 at 17:32 GMT
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KTM rider Pedro Acosta finished in second at the Portugal Grand Prix Sprint race on Saturday afternoon in Portimao, as BK8 Gresini's Alex Marquez claimed victory. Neil Hodgson was so impressed by his performance that he called the 21-year-old Spaniard the second-best rider in the world, while Sylvain Guintoli tipped him to win Sunday's race, shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
'That is so close!' - Marquez sweeps past Acosta to take Portugal Grand Prix Sprint lead
Video credit: TNT Sports
Sylvain Guintoli tipped Pedro Acosta to win the Portugal Grand Prix after Neil Hodgson called him "the second-best" rider in the world.
Acosta overtook Marco Bezzecchi (Aprilia) to lead in the Sprint at Portimao on Saturday afternoon, but his KTM bike could not match the pace of Alex Marquez’s BK8 Gresini as he closed in on victory.
The 21-year-old Acosta struggled with tyre wear, and while he continued to push to regain the lead until the last corner of the race, it was Marquez who took the win.
It was another win for the older Spaniard, who has already secured second place in the championship ahead of the final round in Valencia, Spain, next week, which will be shown live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
While there was no little disappointment for Acosta that he was unable to secure his first victory of any kind in MotoGP, his brave and aggressive riding drew praise from both Guintoli and Hodgson when they were speaking on TNT Sports after the race to analyse the action.
Hodgson watched as Acosta was seen celebrating and talking to his KTM team-mates, and gave him credit for taking his bike to the limit.
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The KTM bike is widely regarded as a rung below the top vehicles in action at the moment, and that led Hodgson to suggest that his effort to secure second makes him one of the best in the world at the moment.
He said: "You've wrung everything out of that motorcycle. As I see it, I feel like Pedro Acosta is the second-best motorcycle rider in the world right now."
Hodgson went on to suggest that his KTM engineers and crew may even have been apologising to him for failing to give him a bike that would match the depth of his talent.
He concluded: "Everyone [is] hugging him and apologising [to him]. [They are] Probably saying, ‘Sorry, mate, we are yet to give you the tools you need to reap what you deserve.’"
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Video credit: TNT Sports
Later in the analysis, Guintoli was asked for his prediction for the full-length race on Sunday, when Bezzecchi will once again start on pole, but Acosta will again be on the front row in second place, with Fabio Quartararo in the third spot on the grid.
"I'm going to go for Pedro Acosta, because I think he deserves it, and I think he's going to go all out tomorrow," Guintoli said.
After Marquez took victory and Acosta second on Saturday, Bezzecchi finished in third place after dropping down two spots from pole.
He now holds a 10-point lead over Ducati Lenovo’s Francesco Bagnaia in the standings, as he aims to finish in third spot for the season.
Bagnaia scored just two points after he finished in eighth spot, having started in fourth on the grid. New team-mate Nicolo Bulega, standing in for the injured world champion Marc Marquez, failed to finish after crashing out.
Watch and stream every race of the 2025 MotoGP season live on TNT Sports and discovery+
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