Marco Bezzecchi
Fabio di Giannantonio reacted angrily to the links between Pedro Acosta and VR46 at the last MotoGP race in the Netherlands. It’s a story that’s been running throughout the season.
Di Giannantonio’s VR46 contract runs until the end of the 2026 season. Despite his frustration, Acosta has no way to escape KTM before that point.
A 2027 move may be in the works, but Di Giannantonio has accused Acosta of disrespecting his team in the meantime. He says ‘it’s not nice to talk so much about another brand’.
The 2023 Qatar Grand Prix winner urged Acosta to focus on his own performance, rather than the MotoGP rider market. Di Giannantonio ranks fifth in the standings heading to the Sachsenring, just three points behind teammate Franco Morbidelli.
Pedro Acosta tells Fabio di Giannantonio his VR46 media stunt was a ‘joke’
Acosta inadvertently stoked the VR46 speculation by posing in front of the team’s sponsor wall in the media pen. In the press conference ahead of the German Grand Prix, he clarified that this was a playful gesture and nothing more.
The 21-year-old urged Di Giannantonio to ‘take life with a little more humour’. Acosta recently visited Ducati’s museum in Borgo Panigale, but says this was purely due to his own interest.
“Of course, it was a joke,” he said, via DAZN. “In the end, you have to take life with a little more humour, because the bad times come on their own.”
One report this week claims that Acosta is searching for a ‘loophole’ in his KTM deal, with assistance from VR46 chief Valentino Rossi. The team tightened up their contracts after controversially losing Jorge Martin in 2020.
Maverick Vinales has urged Acosta to stay at KTM, warning that he’d need full factory support at Ducati to have a chance of competing. He sees Martin’s 2024 triumph at Pramac as a one-off.
What Franco Morbidelli thinks of the Pedro Acosta to VR46 rumours
Morbidelli is still chasing a contract extension, with his deal due to expire at the end of the year. But he sounded decidedly more relaxed than Di Giannantonio.
Speaking to GPOne, he insisted that the rumours were a compliment. They have made him realise how fortunate he is to be racing for the team.
Morbidelli has two podium finishes this season, having come home third in Argentina and inherited P3 from the penalised Vinales in Qatar.
“It’s fun, not a pain,” he said. “There’s a lot going on in the background at this point in the championship. The fact that the Acosta name is being linked to our bikes and team means that our team is highly sought after by one of the youngest and most talented riders in the paddock.
“All of this gives me a sense of what I’m in, and I like it because it allows me to further raise the bar within the team. Not only does it motivate me, but it also makes me enjoy doing my job.”
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