Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta wants to fight with Marc Marquez at the top of MotoGP, and it seems he would do anything to achieve that.
Before his move to MotoGP, Acosta hated being called ‘the next Marquez’. The Spaniard had, and still does, huge hype around him as many tip him to be the future star of the sport.
Acosta has certainly shown his talent with KTM, finishing sixth in his debut season in 2024 and fourth last year with 12 podiums, including Sprints. However, the 21-year-old is yet to win a MotoGP race, and that prompted him to make a move in 2027.
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Acosta looks set to join Ducati next season, partnering with Marquez and replacing Francesco Bagnaia. He has long been linked with the Borgo Panigale outfit, with VR46 expressing an interest in the KTM rider since last year.
However, Ducati are set to fast-track him straight to the factory team. Jorge Lorenzo is surprised Marquez did not block Acosta from joining the team, given that the 21-year-old is seen as his successor.
But as journalist Mela Chercoles notes, Acosta planned to be by Marquez’s side in 2027, regardless of the bike or the colour of the overall.
Pedro Acosta would have joined ‘whichever’ team Marc Marquez did in 2027
Speaking via Motociclismo, Chercoles discussed how Acosta would have joined any team that Marquez did in 2027. He wants the chance to race him on equal machinery.
“I’ll tell you one thing. Pedro Acosta, and I know this for a fact, would have gone to whichever team Marc Marquez had gone to,” he said.
“In other words, if Marc had decided to leave Ducati for Honda, he would have signed with Honda to have the same weapons as the best rider of the moment, perhaps in history for many.
“And he tells me that if Marc Marquez had decided to go to KTM, Acosta would have stayed at KTM. I mean, I’m convinced of that, I know it for a fact.
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“He wants to measure himself as an equal with Marc Marquez, as Jorge Lorenzo did with Valentino Rossi at Yamaha. I mean, Jorge Lorenzo’s great pride, he has five titles, three in MotoGP, is having beaten Valentino Rossi with his own weapons.
“Even better, because Acosta wants the same thing, he wants to really know where he stands compared to Marc. He’s not saying that he’s going to win, but he wants to have the equipment to try to beat him, to dream that he can beat him, and I think that’s fantastic.
“And he knows that where Marc Marquez is going to be for the next two years is the official Ducati pit, the red pit, at Lenovo, and that’s where he’s gone, he’s got his way.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Pedro Acosta from net worth to girlfriend
Pedro Acosta and Marc Marquez could have been teammates at KTM and Honda
Ducati’s 2027 line-up has been in the works in MotoGP for some time. Acosta and Marquez were targeted by KTM back in 2024 as they planned to have them in a third team, but Dorna blocked the move.
With Acosta’s new approach, he would have followed Marquez to any team on the grid, and the Ant of Cervera had multiple offers on the table.
Marquez and Acosta both spoke to Honda over a potential deal for 2027. But the Japanese giants have opted to sign Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo.
Interestingly, Marquez was approached by KTM, which would have given Acosta an incentive to stay put in Austria. But in the end, they are both bound for Ducati, creating an exciting rider pairing.
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