Marc Marquez has now changed his mind about Pedro Acosta’s 2026 title chances

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Pedro Acosta is looking to establish himself as a frontrunner with Marc Marquez in the 2026 MotoGP season as he searches for his maiden win.

The KTM star has already shown he is one of the rising talents in MotoGP, scoring several podiums in his two seasons thus far. However, despite his clear potential, Acosta has yet to win a race in the premier class.

Crashes have not helped his cause, but the Spaniard’s frustrations have mostly been aimed at KTM. The Austrian manufacturer do not have the resources to give him a bike that can win races and fight for the championship.

The 21-year-old finished an impressive fourth in 2025, scoring 12 podiums, including Sprints, across the season. But even that was not enough, as Acosta called it a ‘wasted year of life’ – he wants to be winning races.

Heading into 2026, Acosta will be looking to continue the momentum and take the fight to Marquez and Ducati. But the defending champion has now changed his tone about the KTM rider’s chances.

Marc Marquez takes Pedro Acosta out of consideration for the 2026 title

Marquez is recovering from his shoulder injury sustained at the Indonesian GP. He has sacrificed his holidays to ensure that he is back on a MotoGP bike by pre-season testing at Sepang.

Naturally, the Ant of Cervera will be the favourite for the championship. He is the best rider on the grid, as 2025 showed, and Ducati still have the best bike.

But the 32-year-old knows he will have strong competition. Marquez named four ‘opponents’ he felt he would face in 2025, including his brother Alex Marquez and Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia.

Aprilia are Ducati’s closest challenger thanks to Marco Bezzecchi’s efforts in 2025, and Marquez expects him to be close again in 2026. Acosta was the Spaniard’s fourth and final name mentioned as a rival, but he has since changed his mind.

Speaking to Sky Italy after the launch of Ducati’s GP26 and the new livery, Marquez was asked again about his main title rivals in 2026. But this time, he omitted Acosta from consideration.

“The first is Alex, my brother,” he said. “He finished second last year, so I’ll answer based on the standings. Then I’ll put Pecco, who’s a two-time world champion and showed his potential in Japan. And then there’s Aprilia, who finished very strong with Bezzecchi and will be difficult to manage.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Pedro Acosta from net worth to girlfriend

Pedro Acosta wants out of KTM for 2027

KTM have a mountain to climb if they want to give Acosta a winning bike. Unless they do, they could be at risk of losing him in 2027.

With his contract expiring at the end of 2026, Acosta’s manager has hinted that he will leave KTM. The 21-year-old is not shy of suitors, with rumours suggesting that he has already signed his 2027 contract.

Honda are interested in Acosta and could prepare a sizeable offer to lure him away from KTM. However, Ducati are also keeping tabs on his situation, and they seem to be the preferred option.

VR46 could sign Acosta for 2027 as Valentino Rossi weighs up his options for his rider line-up. The Spaniard could also stay at KTM, but that depends on whether the RC16 is a competitive machine.