Why Pedro Acosta retired from the Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix

Pedro Acosta will have wrist surgery on Tuesday after being forced to stop racing in the Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix at Assen. The young Spanish rider was suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves in the wrist and can cause pain, numbness and weakness in the hand.

Acosta started the race from eighth place and quickly moved forward through the field. He spent several laps fighting with Marc Marquez for a place in the top five and looked capable of achieving a strong result. However, his race ended halfway through when he slowed down and returned to the pits.

At first, many people believed his KTM bike had a technical problem. Later, television cameras showed Acosta shaking his right hand in discomfort, making it clear that a physical issue was causing the problem.

After the race, Acosta explained that he had lost feeling in his wrist and hand. This made it extremely difficult to control the front brake of his motorcycle. He said there were moments when he could not properly feel the brake lever and had to release the brake to avoid crashing into the rider in front of him.

The 21-year-old revealed that he has been dealing with the condition since 2025. He also linked a mistake at the Motegi circuit last year to the same problem, saying he lost feeling in his hand and could no longer control the brake correctly. According to Acosta, the situation at Assen was the worst he has experienced so far.

The KTM rider and his medical team had originally planned to carry out the operation later in the season. However, after his symptoms became much worse during the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, they decided not to wait any longer. The surgery will now take place before the next race in Germany.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common condition that happens when the median nerve is compressed as it passes through a narrow passage in the wrist. For motorcycle racers, the constant pressure on the handlebars and repeated wrist movements can sometimes make the problem worse.

Acosta is hopeful that the operation will solve the issue and allow him to return to racing quickly. If his recovery goes well, he expects to be ready for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring.

The Dutch Grand Prix weekend was difficult from start to finish for the KTM rider. Technical sensor problems reduced his track time on Saturday and affected his qualifying performance. He eventually collected only one championship point across the entire weekend.

Despite showing strong pace during the race and battling near the front, Acosta left Assen frustrated. Between the technical problems and his worsening wrist condition, it was a weekend he will want to forget as soon as possible. His focus is now on recovering from surgery and returning to full fitness for the next round of the MotoGP season.