Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta has reportedly agreed to join Ducati when his KTM contract expires. The timing of the move is a surprise.
Acosta’s switch to Ducati hasn’t been confirmed yet, but is now widely seen as a foregone conclusion. While he was expected to leave KTM, he apparently shook hands with Luigi Dall’Igna before pre-season testing.
And this isn’t the only move that’s on the verge of completion either. Fabio Quartararo is bound for Honda, and Yamaha have chosen Jorge Martin as his replacement.
Have Ducati made the right decision? 💣
All of those deals broke within the space of a remarkable 24 hours. Experts always thought the MotoGP rider market would move quickly, but now there’s a very real prospect that the most coveted seats are filled before a racing lap has been completed.
Carlos Checa calls for MotoGP to introduce a transfer window
Carlos Checa, who made nearly 200 MotoGP appearances between 1995 and 2010, isn’t happy about this situation. He thinks the early transfers will ‘detract’ from the excitement of the 2026 season.
Acosta, Martin and Quartararo won’t have the ‘maximum confidence’ to chase Marquez this year because they already know that they are moving elsewhere. As ‘professional’ as the riders are, Checa fears they will subconsciously lose some motivation.
His proposed solution is a ‘transfer window’ akin to professional football. MotoGP teams would only be able to sign other riders during a set period in the middle of the season.
“Yes, I think that in the end this detracts a bit from 2026,” Checa told Mundo Deportivo. “I think we should slow down those signings a bit, freeze them, right? For example, something like in football.
Does MotoGP need to introduce a transfer window?
“The winter transfer window, the summer transfer window, right? I think this should be blocked, frozen for a bit, and that window for signings should be opened a little bit around the middle of the season.
“Because in the end, this is what I’m saying, it’s going to take away some of the excitement this year. When Marc’s direct rivals are already announcing their departure from their own teams, this doesn’t help the team, the rider, to have maximum confidence, to be able to give their best.
“Then there’s the reality of what might happen, you know?
“Everyone here is professional and will do their best, but in the end it’s also a very emotional sport, and in that area, well, I think that when you’re very well integrated, committed to the team, to the people, with a project of continuity, you end up performing somewhat better than if you’ve already declared that you’re going to leave them at the end of the season.
Aleix Espargaro explains why MotoGP transfer window would be ‘impossible’
Honda test rider Aleix Espargaro can understand Checa’s concerns, but believes Dorna would find it ‘impossible’ to enforce such a rule change.
Dorna stopped Martin and Acosta breaking their contracts last year, but they can’t intervene when a rider’s deal is expiring.
Espargaro, who has switched teams five times since breaking into the premier class, explained that riders would circumvent the rules by reaching provisional agreements and then simply formalising them during the ‘window’.
“I could say yes, but it would be very difficult,” he said when the same publication asked him about Checa’s idea. “Impossible, I’d venture to say. In the end, you’d talk behind the scenes and sign a letter of intent.
“And later, when the transfer window opened, you’d put your signature on the final contract.
“A rider’s worth is based on their recent races or their track record, and fighting against that is really difficult.
“I understand the position of those who propose something like this, but it’s very complicated.”
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