It was win the race and take the crown, and that Acosta did as Foggia hit bad luck on the very final lap of a Moto3™ stunner.
In an unbelievable Moto3™ Grande Prémio Brembo do Algarve, Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Ajo) took both victory and the 2021 World Championship in a dramatic penultimate round of the season. Dennis Foggia (Leopard Racing) was taken out at Turn 3 on the final lap after leading for much of the race, the Italian experiencing some late heartbreak after a sensational run of form. After that incident, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers Team) and Niccolo Antonelli (Avintia VR46 Academy) came through to complete the podium behind Acosta.
Polesitter Sergio Garcia (MuchoNeumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) grabbed the holeshot into Turn 1, with Adrian Fernandez (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) getting the better of John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) down the hill. Foggia lost a couple of places on the first lap but the pocket rocket slipstreamed his way to P1 at the beginning of Lap 2, with Acosta 12th at the end of the first lap.
However, Acosta was carving his way through the pack and soon enough was 6th. Foggia, up front, had a stellar Lap 3 to set the fastest lap of the race and stretch a lead over Darryn Binder (Petronas Sprinta Racing) to over half a second, but Acosta remained on the march and was up to P4 after passing Fernandez and McPhee – the latter crashing unhurt at Turn 13 on Lap 5.
By Lap 9, Acosta finally got the better of Binder into Turn 5 and the top two in the title chase were now 1-2, with Foggia leading Acosta. Diving down the hill into Turn 1 on Lap 10, the number 37 then led for the first time. However, he was wide, allowing Foggia and Binder to get back past. Now though, Acosta had his teammate Jaume Masia with him in the fight at the front too…
Just like that, Masia was past Acosta at the start of Lap 13, then shoved his way up the inside of Foggia at Turn 3. Masia sat Foggia up, the Spaniard taking the lead and Acosta following him through. Turn 5 on the same lap saw the Championship leader then take the lead again too, but Masia returned the favour on the front straight. Acosta then looked behind him and lost some time, dropping to sixth as Foggia got back into the lead.
y five to go it was Foggia-Binder-Acosta, and at his favoured Turn 13, the number 37 grabbed second from Binder and once again the two title contenders were leading the group. With four to go, it was as you were. With three to go, not quite. Turn 3 saw Acosta overtake Foggia, and Turn 5 then saw Masia crash out of the battle.
Two to go. Foggia reeled in Acosta and a brilliant move up the inside at Turn 11 gave the Italian the lead once more as the riders clocked onto the final lap: Foggia 1st, Acosta 2nd.
But then the drama came at Turn 3. Acosta dived up the inside for the lead, and behind them Binder was in hot. The South African collided with the back of Foggia, who crashed, with Garcia also getting caught up in the incident. And that, ultimately, was all she wrote for Foggia’s title chances.
Acosta kept it pinned up ahead and making no mistake on the last lap, took victory. From P14 on the grid to the top step, he is the 2021 World Champion. Migno and Antonelli avoided the Turn 3 drama to come through, the Italians getting the better side of luck this time around to complete the podium.
Jeremy Alcoba (Indonesian Racing Gresini Moto3) picked up P4 ahead of Izan Guevara (MuchoNeaumatico GASGAS Aspar Team) and Ayumu Sasaki (Red Bull KTM Tech3) – the latter duo producing fine performances after taking Long Lap penalties in the race. Romano Fenati (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team), Xavier Artigas (Leopard Racing), Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse) and Filip Salač (CarXpert PrüstelGP) rounded out the top 10.
Fernandez, Carlos Tatay (Avintia Esponsorama Moto3), FIM Moto3™ Junior World Championship riders Daniel Holgado (Red Bull KTM Tech3) and Joel Kelso (CIP Green Power), and Alberto Surra (Rivacold Snipers Team) completed the points.
Binder, after causing the crash that saw Foggia and Garcia go down on the last lap, crossed the line in P4 but was then disqualified from the race.
So there we have it – Pedro Acosta is the 2021 Moto3™ World Champion. A young Spaniard taking the world by storm, Acosta has been nothing short of phenomenal this season and becomes the first rookie lightweight class Champion since Loris Capirossi in 1990. Commiserations to Foggia, who now heads to Valencia hoping to end his classy campaign on a high, but both riders have given us a title chase to remember. As has Garcia in the earlier season – and the Aspar rider’s record at the Circuit Ricardo Tormo teases a highflying end to the season….
Moto3™ podium
1 Pedro Acosta – Red Bull KTM Ajo – KTM – 38’04.339
2 Andrea Migno – Rivacold Snipers Team – Honda – +0.354
3 Niccolo Antonelli – Avintia VR46 Academy – KTM – +0.880
Pedro Acosta: “I don’t have anything to say. I cried the whole last lap, I can only say thanks to the whole team, Aki, KTM and Red Bull. At the start of the season I didn’t just get a team, I got a family. Thanks to all the guys who always believed, all the people in the background always pushing me, everybody. This Championship is for them. They are the guys who made it possible to win this Championship today.”
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