Acosta won the FIM CEV PreMoto3 Championship in 2017 and competed in the Junior Moto3 World Championship from 2018. In 2019 and 2020 he raced in the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, finishing second in 2019 and winning the 2020 title by taking the first six races consecutively.
Acosta made his Moto3 World Championship debut with Red Bull KTM Ajo in 2021 and immediately announced himself in historic fashion. He finished second on debut in Qatar, then won the Doha Grand Prix one week later starting from the pit lane — a feat no rider had ever achieved in Moto3. He subsequently won the next two races in Portugal and Spain, becoming the first rider in Grand Prix history to reach the podium in each of his first four starts.
Acosta won six races in total during his rookie season (also taking victories in Germany, Styria, and Algarve) and claimed the world championship in Algarve when his main title rival Dennis Foggia crashed. He won by 43 points and, at 17 years and 166 days old, became the first Moto3 rookie champion since Loris Capirossi took the 125cc title in 1990, and the second youngest class champion ever — just one day older than Capirossi was at the time of his championship.
Acosta was promoted directly to Moto2 with Red Bull KTM Ajo for 2022. He recorded his first intermediate-class win at Mugello before suffering a broken femur in a training accident that caused him to miss two rounds. He returned to win again at Aragon.
In 2023, Acosta dominated the Moto2 season comprehensively. He set the record for most podiums in a single Moto2 season — 14, shared with Marc Marquez, Esteve Rabat, and Johann Zarco — and clinched the 2023 Moto2 World Championship with two rounds remaining, becoming the youngest Moto2 world champion at 19 years and 172 days.
Acosta graduated to MotoGP in 2024 with the Red Bull GasGas Tech3 satellite team, still within the KTM family. He was immediately competitive, scoring his first premier class podium at Portimao after overtaking Brad Binder, Marc Marquez, and Francesco Bagnaia in a single bold move. He led a race for the first time at the Circuit of the Americas before finishing second behind Maverick Vinales. He claimed his maiden premier class pole position at the Japanese Grand Prix and finished sixth in his debut MotoGP season, just two points behind factory KTM rider Brad Binder.
Ahead of the 2025 Italian Grand Prix, it was confirmed that Acosta had signed a multi-year deal with the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team, stepping up to full factory status. He scored five podiums across the season to finish fourth in the championship.
For 2026, Acosta remained with the factory KTM team. He won the opening sprint race of the season in Thailand and finished second in the main race, becoming the first KTM rider ever to lead the MotoGP World Championship.
Among the records held by Acosta as of 2026:
Youngest Moto3 world champion: 17 years and 166 days (2021)
Youngest Moto2 world champion: 19 years and 172 days (2023)
Youngest rider to set a MotoGP fastest lap: 19 years and 290 days
Youngest rider to score a MotoGP podium: 19 years and 304 days
First KTM rider ever to lead the MotoGP World Championship
First rider in Moto3 history to win from the pit lane
Acosta is the most decorated young talent to emerge in Grand Prix motorcycle racing since Marc Marquez, with whom comparisons are frequently drawn. His aggressive yet controlled riding style, combined with natural racecraft and mental composure, positioned him as the defining generational talent of his era before completing his third year of senior international racing.