ASSEN, Netherlands — Pedro Acosta will undergo wrist surgery on Tuesday after retiring from the Dutch Grand Prix because of carpal tunnel syndrome, forcing the KTM rider to bring forward an operation that had originally been scheduled for MotoGP’s summer break.
The factory KTM rider was running inside the battle for a top-five finish at Assen after making early progress from eighth on the grid before his race ended abruptly on lap 13 of 26. Acosta slowed dramatically approaching Turn 1 before steering into the pits to retire.
At first, the retirement appeared to be caused by a mechanical problem, but television footage showed the Spaniard repeatedly shaking his right hand in obvious discomfort.
After the race, Acosta revealed that doctors had diagnosed him with carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition caused by compression of the median nerve in the wrist that left him unable to properly feel or operate the front brake lever during the race.
“I think on some tracks it is worse and on some tracks it is better,” Acosta said. “Yesterday already, I was suffering from lap three, but more or less I knew where the lever was.
“But today, behind Marc, sometimes I had to just release the brake to not hit him because I didn’t even know if I had the lever in my hand.”
Acosta said surgery had initially been planned after the German Grand Prix but the severity of the symptoms experienced at Assen forced him and his medical team to accelerate the procedure.
“On Tuesday, we will have surgery to try to take out this problem,” he said. “It’s something in the wrist that doesn’t let me have feeling.”
The 21-year-old explained that he has been dealing with the condition since 2025, although it had gradually worsened over the past year. He recalled losing feeling in his hand during last season’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi, when he ran wide at Turn 1 after losing contact with the brake lever.
“One year ago, if you remember last year in Motegi, I went wide in the gravel at Turn 1,” Acosta said. “This was because I arrived at one moment where I had no more feeling and I just lost the lever from the finger.
“Today, maybe it was the worst case that I ever had. Our idea was to take surgery after Sachsenring, but it’s better that we do it now.”
Despite the operation being scheduled only days before the German Grand Prix weekend, Acosta expressed confidence that he would recover in time.
“It will be OK if everything goes OK,” he said.
The Dutch Grand Prix capped a frustrating weekend for Acosta, who collected only a single championship point across the sprint and main race. Technical issues involving sensors during Saturday morning’s sessions also disrupted his preparations and left him qualifying only eighth on the grid.
Asked whether there were any positives to take from the weekend, Acosta dismissed the suggestion.
“Nothing,” he said. “Between the technical issues that we have on Saturday and then this thing of the hand, it’s better to forget.”
