Pedro Acosta bids farewell to KTM: "Money? No, I want to beat Marquez"

MotoGP is entering a new era from 2027. Not only will it have new technical regulations, but the rider market shuffle will deliver an almost entirely revamped grid. KTM will replace all four riders, with the crown jewel Pedro Acosta set to wear Ducati colors.

Brad Binder hasn’t found a seat in MotoGP and will compete in the World Superbike Championship for the next two years with the factory BMW team. Maverick Vinales is also out of the picture; for him, it marks the end of his career at the top level. Enea Bastianini moves to Trackhouse Aprilia after two difficult years. And then there’s Pedro Acosta, widely regarded as Marc Marquez’s heir, with whom he will share the garage. Coming in are Alex Marquez from Gresini and Fabio Di Giannantonio from VR46 for the factory team. Meanwhile, Tech3 will welcome Luca Marini from Honda and Senna Angius from Moto2.

It’s hard to make up for the loss of Pedro Acosta, but the Austrian manufacturer couldn’t do anything to change his mind. “Pedro started his career with us,” CEO Gottfried Neumeister told Speedweek.com. Parting ways isn’t easy, but his decision wasn’t driven solely by financial terms. “He said it wasn’t about a million more or less and that, as a Spaniard, it would be important for him to beat Marc Marquez with the same weapons. I had nothing to counter such arguments.”

His first MotoGP victory at the Red Bull Ring has restored confidence at KTM. And it confirms that Ducati made a smart call in choosing Pecco Bagnaia’s replacement... Neumeister also highlights the merits of his engineers and the RC16. “If Pedro didn’t have a bike capable of delivering such results, he wouldn’t be able to produce them. I’ll never underestimate his relentless commitment, but there’s also a team behind a great rider.”

KTM’s fate in MotoGP will be in the hands of Alex Marquez and ‘Diggia.’ “I’m 100% convinced that our two future riders can make the difference. At the moment, neither has a factory team behind them. Our continuous work will ensure our long-term success. That’s how I manage things in the company. We must constantly improve: in execution, in analysis, always data-driven.”

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