Marco Bezzecchi
KTM are fully aware of just how vital the next 12 months could be for the future of their MotoGP operations.
For starters, the MotoGP rider market is expected to throw up a little chaos, with the majority of the grid’s contracts set to expire soon.
That includes KTM and satellite team Tech3, who have no riders currently under contract for 2027 and beyond.
Their hottest property is going to receive offers from their rivals, and it feels almost inevitable that Pedro Acosta will accept one of them.
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KTM are ‘resigned’ to losing Acosta, but he will have some level of loyalty to the team. He will have to think twice before leaving them.
But, Acosta thinks he has ‘repaid’ KTM with his performances over the last few seasons already. In the second half of 2025, he was in great form.
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KTM’s latest test shows how desperate they are to retain Pedro Acosta for 2027
Acosta has the second-most podiums without winning in premier class history, which shows how patient he has had to be with his current project.
Although he remains young, he won’t want to risk wasting some of his best years riding a bike that he cannot compete with.
Acosta says KTM ‘have to’ find four tenths to challenge Ducati and keep him happy in the future, and it seems like they’re already working hard to find that time.
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This week, they had Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa out on track testing their new 850cc bike for 2027, for the first time. No other manufacturer has put their bike on tarmac yet.
It’s a sign that the team are trying to show the Spaniard that they’re ahead of the game with their new project, and intend to compete from day one.
It’s unlikely to sway Acosta, as they need to prove that the bike will be quick, but it’s certainly a statement of intent from the Mattighofen outfit.
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Why KTM are going to find it difficult to keep Pedro Acosta
At the start of the year, Acosta was very vocal about his team’s position and how he was upset with the bike he had been given.
Acosta called 2025 a ‘wasted year of life’ at the end of the 2025 campaign, while frustrated at a number of things.
He expected more of KTM, but has since calmed down and accepted that what he has at his disposal is what he must maximise.
But, the likes of Ducati and Honda are aware that he possesses the sort of talent seen rarely at the highest level.
KTM have done little to suggest that they can be championship contenders in the future, and Acosta knows that their rivals can offer him the chance to win, and the chance to fulfil a dream.
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