Overview
- Acosta confirmed late Sunday that he will have carpal tunnel surgery next Tuesday and expects to aim for a return at the German Grand Prix on the Sachsenring in two weeks.
- He retired the Assen race because he lost feeling in his right hand and could not reliably control the brake lever, a safety decision he said was necessary to avoid a crash.
- The numbness is caused by carpal tunnel syndrome and has affected him for about a year, a problem he says previously led to a wide run at Motegi when he lost finger feeling.
- KTM suffered a run of shutdowns that disrupted Acosta's preparation in Brno and Assen, including two bikes quitting within minutes at Assen, and team principal Aki Ajo said sensors put the bikes into emergency shutdown after kerb impacts.
- The near-term picture depends on a quick surgical recovery and on KTM delivering lasting technical fixes, because lost practice laps from shutdowns already hampered Acosta's race performance and could affect his competitiveness on return.