Pedro Acosta told to pursue ‘golden ticket’ opportunity for the 2027 MotoGP season

Add as preferred source on Google

Pedro Acosta is going to be one of the key names in the 2027 MotoGP rider market, even though the majority of the grid will be out of contract.

The Spaniard is still awaiting his first win with KTM, and is under contract with them for just over 12 more months. Soon, Acosta will be free to talk to other teams and try to negotiate a better deal than the one he has now – perhaps somewhere that can help him win.

It’s unlikely that any team won’t be having conversations with the hottest prospect on the MotoGP rider market, even if the likes of Yamaha or his current team aren’t too confident in their ability to woo him over.

KTM’s upgrades could bring Acosta closer to Ducati, and there remains hope for them to prove that they can compete for victories and titles down the line. Acosta had a ‘turning point’ in 2025, which has helped him compete for podiums. Now, he’s looking for that extra step to reach the top.

READ MORE: Pedro Acosta has now addressed one of Ducati’s concerns about pairing him with Marc Marquez

Pedro Acosta told to chase ‘golden ticket’ Honda deal for 2027

Acosta has beaten Brad Binder in every qualifying session so far this season. That’s against one of the most consistent riders in the sport, who hasn’t finished outside of the top six in the standings since back in 2020.

Jorge Lorenzo thinks Acosta is ‘phenomenal’ and has been really impressed with his speed right from the beginning of his career. He had a bit of a blip at the start of 2025, but has since bounced back and failed to give up on his season.

Now, Jack Appleyard has shared where he thinks the ‘golden ticket’ for the 2027 campaign will be, suggesting three riders that will want to be in contact with Honda over the next few months.

“Aleix Espargargo in particular, who was in Malaysia and stayed out there to test that new 2026 package,” he said. “Has said that it’s yet another step on what they’ve got this year.

“Honda are going into next year, and they’re going to be fighting for victories. They’re going to be genuine contenders, and then ahead of 2027, that feels like that’s going to be the golden ticket. It feels like the big property riders are going to want to get themselves a Honda deal in 2027.

“It feels like, with names like Quartararo, Acosta, Martin already being mentioned, but that’s all to come over the winter break.”

READ MORE: Rival MotoGP team boss says he’ll do ‘everything’ he can to sign Pedro Acosta from KTM

How Pedro Acosta can still pull off an incredible turnaround in 2025

At the halfway point of the season, Acosta wasn’t even in the top five of the championship. He hadn’t been good enough to achieve much more than that.

But the likes of VR46 have struggled more recently, and the 21-year-old has been one of the beneficiaries of it.

Somehow, he still has a chance of finishing in the top three of the standings, on a KTM which can be a rocket in a straight line, but always seem to struggle on tyre wear.

Defensively, some of his performances have been outstanding this year, and it’s exactly why he remains one of the top prospects for the future heading into 2026 and beyond.