American MotoGP Legend Kevin Schwantz joined MotoGP’s coverage of the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas, providing his expert analysis and opinions to fans across the globe. During Friday afternoon’s Practice session, Schwantz gave his thoughts on Pedro Acosta’s (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) career so far and what he would do in the #37’s position.

Acosta had a mixed weekend at COTA, soaring to P4 on the grid after setting an incredible time in Q2. The #37 was 0.416s adrift from pole position and would later end Saturday with a solid P7 finish in the Tissot Sprint. However, on Sunday, Acosta crashed on Lap 8, dropping out of contention after a tense battle with teammate Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) for P8.

Discussing Acosta, Schwantz believes that there should be no rush and the #37 has a long career to look forward to: "He had a couple of opportunities while running at the front last year to win a Grand Prix, but never quite pulled it off; he never made it to the end - at least not at that front position. I think Pedro has a great career ahead of him. Take your time and learn what you can on the KTM, and if the opportunity is there to get on one of the bikes that are running at the very front, then I think at his age, he should jump at that opportunity."

The 1993 World Champion is an incredibly experienced rider who spent his premier-class career onboard a Suzuki. Reflecting on his own experiences, Schwantz offered some advice: "Being the guy who was never brave enough to jump ship, I would recommend that now. I tried a couple of times; I tried to ride a Yamaha once; I tried to ride a Honda once but never managed to get either one pulled off."

Looking towards the future, Schwantz believes that if an opportunity were to arise, Acosta should seize it: "I think as young as Pedro is, and I know KTM has given him his chances all the way up to where he is now, but if he doesn’t feel like things are quite going in the direction that he needs to be, if contracts are up, and there is a possibility to go to one of those teams who are running at the front, I think he would jump at that opportunity because there isn’t always going to be that possibility."

After a short break, Acosta will shift his focus towards Round 4 of the season as the paddock heads to Qatar – the venue where he made his debut last season. How much longer does the #37 have to wait until his first MotoGP victory? Tune in to find out!