Pedro Acosta said that crashing out of the Japanese Grand Prix sprint race while leading was a "stupid mistake", but the rookie is determined to take away the positives from the incident.

The rookie star secured his first-ever pole position on Saturday morning in Japan. During the sprint, he initially lost the lead but soon reclaimed it from Francesco Bagnaia. Unfortunately, with just three laps left, Acosta’s hopes for a first victory disappeared when he lost the front end at Turn 5.

"It was a stupid mistake on my part," Acosta admitted. "I went a little wide, came in with a bit more angle, and made a mistake. Just a stupid mistake.

“This one stings, but there are positives wrapped up in the pain. You have to acknowledge the good alongside the bad.

"I don't make excuses; I find solutions. Yes, we crashed, but we were competitive today.

“The takeaway is that I was fast. We've been battling with the top four or five riders in recent races, and we’ve learned how to keep improving.” Although Acosta had built a visible gap on Bagnaia just before the crash, he insisted he wasn’t pushing particularly hard in that corner.

“I was just flowing, not trying anything different," he explained. "I was only pushing where I felt comfortable—Turn 1, Turn 2, and Turn 4.

“But even before the race, I was sliding at Turn 5. I was losing time there, but I wasn’t out of control.” Bagnaia’s take on the situation supports Acosta's claim that he wasn’t overextending himself. The reigning champion hinted that he was the one causing the gap between them before Acosta’s fall.

"I think the front tire pressure was too high," Bagnaia said. "Maybe because we started cautiously with the drizzle. I struggled a bit following Pedro.

"As soon as I eased off a little to cool the front tire, he crashed. I’m not sure how we would've finished, but he was doing a great job.”

This wasn’t Acosta’s first crash this season, but it was one of the closest he had come to a win.

“I’ve said before that I can win," Acosta reflected. "But then I’ve crashed out, like at Le Mans and Barcelona. The difference is, this was the first time I’ve crashed while leading.

“Every time I get pole, I crash,” he joked.