It'd be an understatement to say that Pedro Acosta has made waves in his debut MotoGP season. The 19-year-old has surpassed expectations and, after just three rounds, already podiumed with the junior Red Bull-led GasGas Tech3 team.
And he's sitting pretty in fourth in the overall points.
There's still a lot of racing to do, but given Acosta is also already far ahead of both Red Bull KTM's Jack Miller and Brad Binder—the supposed headliners of the Red Bull team—it's led many to ponder whether rumors of Acosta being bumped up to Red Bull KTM mid-season could prove true.
And, indeed, there is precedence, along with a contract that theoretically allows for it. But Pit Beirer, Red Bull's team principal who oversees the two outfits, has thrown cold water on such rumors.
“Pedro's achievements are an absolute highlight. But no, that is not an option for us," Beirer told Motorsport-Magazin. That's pretty definitive, if you ask us.
However, as mentioned previously, Acosta, Binder, Miller, and Augusto Fernandez have a contract where any of the riders can be swapped from one team to the other. "All our four drivers in MotoGP have work contracts. So you are not tied to a specific team. We always plan and think with these four places in the MotoGP. So contractually, there is no hurdle to change anything," said Beirer to the outlet.
But he went further to tamp down rumors, stating, "Nevertheless, it is completely absurd to think about such changes during the season."
Is this a case of he doth protest too much, though? Red Bull has never shied away from controversial driver changes. In Formula 1, it's dropped and brought in drivers pretty quickly through seasons if the driver isn't gelling or the team isn't getting what was promised. It happened with Verstappen ages ago, along with Alex Albon, Daniel Ricciardo, and more.
For what it's worth, I personally don't see it happening. Red Bull isn't afraid of making enemies with power moves, but Acosta is doing good right now. And he's still part of the Red Bull team. Why change what's working?
At the end of the day, let him go with all the exuberance of a 19-year-old with zero fear. It might just net them a championship if he keeps this up. Even if its in the brand's junior squad.
