Acosta 14th in Qatar Practice after soft-tyre struggle

Pedro Acosta finished Friday’s Qatar Grand Prix Practice in 14th place, missing direct qualification for Q2 after struggling to find pace on a new soft rear tyre. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider said the tyre performed far worse than the medium rear he had used earlier in the session, and that he would try to recover in Saturday qualifying. Acosta said he had been fast on the medium but lost grip and rear-wheel stopping performance on the new soft. He said the loss was especially puzzling because even a medium tyre that had completed 10 to 12 laps had performed better. The cause of the difference was not established in his account. The Spaniard was inside the top five during earlier running, when riders were using mainly medium tyres, but dropped to 14th in the session that determined direct Q2 places. It was the third time this season he had failed to qualify directly for Q2. His previous instances came at the Italian and Spanish Grands Prix, where he later advanced through Q1, according to his account. Acosta also referred to an earlier stoppage during the day, describing it as an “electronic issue.” He did not provide further detail about the problem. Saturday’s...