Pedro Acosta's message: "I don't have time to waste

Pedro Acosta is being touted as a future MotoGP class champion. It takes time, dedication, and the right bike to aim for the world throne, and Ducati could be the right move. From 2027, the Shark of Mazarrón will team up with Marc Marquez, a far-from-easy teammate-rival, ushering in the new era with 850cc engines aboard the Desmosedici.

The Borgo Panigale manufacturer had been tracking Pedro Acosta for some time; a verbal agreement had already been in place since last year. At that point, Pecco Bagnaia, coming off a below-par championship, realized he would have to look around for a factory team, eventually signing with Aprilia. Marc Marquez made the first “victim” in the Ducati garage, but Pedro Acosta doesn’t seem to fear his compatriot. On the contrary, he accepted the challenge without hesitation.

Leaving KTM was not easy. The relationship between Acosta and the Austrian brand goes back a long way, ever since his coronation in the 2020 Red Bull Rookies Cup and solidified with the jump to MotoGP under the Tech3 banner in 2023, when he scored as many as five podiums in full-length races. The following year he moved to the factory team, finishing fourth in the final standings. But Pedro has always been very clear with the top brass in Mattighofen. “When I signed with the factory team, I said the only thing I wanted was a bike to win the World Championship. Unfortunately, that bike still hasn’t reached that level. I don’t have any more time to waste.”

With MotoGP’s rules changing, every new contract signed is almost a leap into the unknown. It’s hard to predict whether Ducati will still be the dominant brand, but you have to believe. “I learned a lot at KTM, but I thought Ducati was the challenge my career needed.”

Acosta’s move somewhat blindsided KTM’s leadership, who had to pivot to a new rider line-up. Starting next year, they’ll race with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, but the ‘Shark’ has certainly left his mark—and a hint of regret. Pit Beirer, head of KTM Motorsport, admitted, “It was very hard for us to accept because we went through everything together: Rookies Cup, the Moto3 and Moto2 titles, injuries... We placed the entire responsibility of the project on him and hadn’t planned a replacement. It was frustrating.”

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