Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta was by far the best KTM rider through the 2025 MotoGP season, but the Spaniard was still far from happy despite coming fourth in the championship this year.
The 21-year-old graduated to the factory KTM team for 2025 after cutting his teeth at Tech3 during his rookie campaign last term. But the financial issues that KTM faced ahead of 2025 meant Acosta paid the price for a lack of development as the RC16 often struggled to shine.
It took the Mazarron native until round 12 to score his first podiums this year, as he secured P2 in the Sprint at Brno and P3 in the Czech Grand Prix. Acosta ended the 2025 season with five Grand Prix podiums and seven Sprint podiums but, crucially, zero wins in either format.
Acosta saw two of his Spanish rivals score their maiden MotoGP victories in 2025, as Fermin Aldeguer won the Indonesian Grand Prix and Raul Fernandez won the Australian Grand Prix. So, taking fourth in the riders’ championship with 307 points was not enough to satisfy him.
Pedro Acosta believes he has ‘already’ repaid what KTM have invested in him
Acosta has called 2025 a “wasted year of my life”, as he improved his consistency and ability to read a race without having the opportunity to consistently fight for podiums. Additionally, to the interest of their rival crews, Acosta has asked his manager to find alternatives to KTM.
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The 2021 Moto3 and 2023 Moto2 champion has raced for KTM since he won the lightweight class title as a rookie. But Acosta is clear that he does not owe the Munderfing-based squad, as he believes he has already repaid what KTM invested in his potential in the last five years.
“I want to go where I can win,” Acosta told GPOne. “It’s true that they’ve invested a lot in men. But I think that, in the end, I’ve already repaid their bet. You know what I mean?
“Now, it’s in their hands to bring better tools to try to win. That’s the only thing I say in the garage. I need better tools to win. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Ducati and Honda could fight to sign Pedro Acosta for the 2027 MotoGP season
Acosta’s future for KTM is certain to be one of the hottest talking points in the MotoGP rider market in 2026 with the Spaniard, like most of his rivals, set to be out of contract at the end of next year. The Austrian crew gave him a two-year deal to step up from Tech3 this season.
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Rival teams have also already started to cast their eyes towards his situation, and more may explore a deal now that Bajaj has put KTM up for sale for £88m. It is thought that Ducati see Acosta as their top target to replace Francesco Bagnaia, should they release their Italian star.
Also, reports have claimed that Red Bull wants to sponsor a Ducati line-up of Marc Marquez and Acosta, with the Austrian energy drink brand considering splitting from KTM in the near future. But Ducati may face competition, as Honda are interested in signing Acosta for 2027.
Acosta has already told KTM what they need to show him next year to convince him to stay, should the team remain on the grid, in 2027. Acosta believes KTM are lacking three to four tenths per lap, and they need to find it during the winter break to fight at the front in 2026.
KTM worked with the Red Bull F1 team to develop an extreme fairing upgrade, which Acosta and Brad Binder trialled in the Valencia test. Tech3 duo Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales also tested the fairing designed to generate greater aerodynamic load at the lower element.
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