Pedro Acosta nearing the end with KTM: "Now is not the time to talk about it

Pedro Acosta and the KTM top brass don’t want to talk about the rider market on the day of the 2026 MotoGP team presentation. Lips are sealed at a delicate moment for the championship, for negotiations, for sponsors. The Spanish rider has long been in the sights of Ducati and Honda, but everything suggests he will head into the Borgo Panigale orbit. For now, the focus is solely on the Malaysia test scheduled for the coming hours.

Managing his future in the premier class is an experienced manager like Albert Valera. At the moment there are three options on the table: Ducati, VR46, and Honda. A direct switch to red seems difficult, but not impossible. Everything will depend on Pecco Bagnaia’s first outings on track. The fact remains that Pedro Acosta wants new motivation, and he will hardly find it in the Mattighofen squad. "2025 wasn’t what we expected, that’s for sure. At the start it was difficult because of the expectations we had in testing. Then it was tough to readapt... It’s hard to keep people motivated, your team, if you’re not."

The year 2026 will begin with scaled-back expectations. "I’m starting with a different mindset compared to last year, when expectations were very high. It wasn’t easy to accept the low points." The Sepang MotoGP test will reveal what KTM achieved over the winter break and how far the rivals are. It will also be a chance to look around the market. "Today isn’t the time to talk about it; we’re at KTM’s presentation. We need to focus on 2026, and we’ll see about 2027, which will be a question mark for everyone."

Winning his first MotoGP race remains the primary objective, Marc Marquez remains the rival to beat. But the mind can’t gloss over the contract discussion. It’s a topic on which Pedro Acosta prefers to be tight-lipped. "I think those who are happy where they are will stay, and those who aren’t will move. With such a big question mark, since we don’t know what will happen in 2027, people who feel comfortable won’t take risks because, at least, they feel comfortable with the people they’re with."