Pedro Acosta now has just four more rounds to claim a first MotoGP victory this season.

The last rookie to achieve such a feat was current title leader Jorge Martin, who won in his sixth MotoGP start during 2021.

After a mid-season lull, Acosta has bounced back with a vengeance, finishing just 1.4s behind Martin and victory in Indonesia, then claiming a debut pole position last weekend in Japan.

But the GASGAS Tech3 rider was left empty-handed when he crashed shortly after passing reigning champion Francesco Bagnaia for the lead of the Motegi Sprint, then fell again while second to Bagnaia early in the grand prix.

“I think Pedro is super strong. I think he already had the potential to win in Japan, but he crashed,” said Martin.

“But also, I think he wants so bad his first victory in MotoGP during this season.

“For sure he will be super strong, but we also have Marc and Enea, who will be super strong. They have their own battles also and will try to win.”

Bagnaia insisted he wasn’t surprised by Acosta’s searing form in Japan and thinks the 20-year-old will be among a big leading pack at Phillip Island this weekend.

“He was very competitive from the start of the [Motegi] weekend. I was expecting him to be competitive as KTM was always fast in Japan, and he is a rider who brakes really hard,” Bagnaia said.

“He was fighting for his first victory, so we already know the potential of Pedro. He was super good at the start [of the season] and then he lost a bit his confidence, but it looks like he is back.

“This track [Phillip Island] is good for everybody, the bike makes less of a difference here because it is very fast, and it is difficult to make this difference. So I think it will be difficult to see someone opening a gap.”

A brand new track surface, expanded range of rear tyres and forecast wet weather on Friday mean the Australian MotoGP could be one of the most unpredictable races of the season.

Neither Martin nor Bagnaia – who have won 22 of the 32 races this season – have ever taken a victory at Phillip Island, providing hope for their rivals.

Meanwhile, KTM is without a MotoGP win since Miguel Oliveira at Buriram in 2022, although Brad Binder took a Sprint victory at Jerez in 2023.

Acosta is battling future team-mate Binder for fifth in the world championship and top non-Ducati honours.

The South African holds a slim two-point advantage after Acosta’s Motegi race misery.