Pecco Bagnaia and the Acosta rumors: "That's how it should be

The rider market is revving up as the MotoGP paddock heads to Thailand for the final pre-season test and the first Grand Prix. Everyone wants a secure contract for next year, but as of today only Marco Bezzecchi and Aprilia have announced a renewal. Ducati seems to have made its choice: Pedro Acosta. Pecco Bagnaia will likely have to say goodbye to the factory team at the end of this Championship.

In Spain they’ve been certain for several weeks: Borgo Panigale and Pedro Acosta have already reached an agreement for 2027–2028. But it’s one step at a time. Ducati is still negotiating the final details of Marc Marquez’s contract extension. After the announcement, the domino effect everyone expects will follow. The Shark of Mazarrón was clear after the MotoGP test in Malaysia: with KTM there will still be suffering. "It’s going to be a year of suffering and fake smiles," admitted the #37 rider.

He already tried last year to jump onto the Desmosedici, but the game (aka the money) wasn’t worth the candle. The contractual technicalities weren’t easy to untangle, so came the bitter decision to wait until the end of 2026 before leaving the Austrian manufacturer (which, moreover, isn’t in the strongest financial position).

Acosta’s fate is tied to Bagnaia’s. Their official announcements will come almost in unison. No one would have thought, until the start of 2025, that the relationship would end. But results are everything in a sport like MotoGP. "Obviously a season like the last one can put you on the wrong side," admitted the rider from Chivasso. "We live in a world that is always extremely fast, so you have to be fast too. Jorge Lorenzo once said something very true: you’re always judged by the last races you took part in."

So far, lips are sealed about possible destinations, with Valentino Rossi’s protégé potentially opting for Aprilia or Yamaha. The rumors about Pedro Acosta to Ducati are well known to Pecco. "It’s normal for things to go this way, it’s also the right path. In the last three or four years, contracts have been decided much earlier. But that’s how things go, and honestly I think that’s right."