KTM is improving, but Pedro Acosta admits: "Alex Marquez is scary fast"

Acosta sees an improved KTM compared to 2025, but Ducati remains the benchmark of the MotoGP grid: here is his assessment after the Sepang test.

Even though some market rumors link him to Ducati for 2027, Pedro Acosta was 100% focused on working with the Red Bull KTM Factory team during the three days of MotoGP testing in Malaysia. Before thinking about next year, there’s a 2026 season he wants to tackle in the best possible way. The Mattighofen manufacturer worked hard to produce an RC16 that’s more competitive than last season’s. It seems to have succeeded, even if Ducati is still a step ahead. In the combined time attack standings he placed eighth, but in terms of sprint simulations he was fourth.

The two-time world champion had asked KTM for progress and appreciated what the Austrian manufacturer delivered: "I’m really happy. It was a pity," he told Motosan at the end of the Sepang test, "because we couldn’t fit new tires. I made a few mistakes that I think kept me from getting into the 1:56s, but I think we can be satisfied. I believe I have a fairly clear idea of the bike I want for Thailand and the things I need to ask for, which are the usual ones. Anyway, I think we’re starting from a better position than last season."

Improving stability and tire wear (the rear in particular) was a goal, and with the new RC16 it seems there’s been a step forward. Understandably, Acosta wants to wait for the Grands Prix to verify that there’s been a concrete positive change; tests can be misleading at times: "It seems we have the cornering situation fairly under control. But the bike is good until you go out on Friday afternoon and it doesn’t give you the lap time you need—then things get complicated. Anyway, I’m quite satisfied with how the bike turns and how we’re managing tire temperatures. It looks like updates will arrive for Thailand as well; this was a first step."

Alex Marquez was the best both on the time attack and in the sprint simulation. The KTM rider was impressed by his fellow Spaniard and, in general, by the level of the Ducatis: "His simulation is scary. And given how things went, it’s going to be a year of suffering and fake smiles. We know Alex and the Ducatis are very strong here; there were five of them ahead. Only Bezzecchi managed to slip in. We have to wait—it’s too early. It seems Ducati has taken another step forward, I don’t know from where, because the bikes already seemed to perform very well, but it looks like they’ve gone back to being bikes suited to all riders. So, well, I think we have to keep working our own way, because in the end we can’t control what others do."

Ducati has confirmed it’s ahead of the competition, and that’s no surprise given the results of recent years. Gigi Dall’Igna and his team didn’t rest on their laurels; they worked to put an even more competitive Desmosedici GP26 on track than previous bikes. For now, the competition seems to be at a safe distance, but we need to wait for the MotoGP test in Thailand and the first Grands Prix to get a more concrete idea of the competitive hierarchy in the 2026 World Championship.