Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati were quietly pleased with Pedro Acosta’s Thailand Grand Prix performance even though he won an intense battle with Marc Marquez, according to a journalist with contacts at the team.
The first Sprint of the year saw a thrilling duel between Acosta and Marquez, culminating in the former’s first premier-class victory of any description. The reigning world champion retook the lead from the KTM rider with an audacious lunge, but was ordered to return the place.
Acosta said Marquez’s penalty tainted his victory, but he passed him again during Sunday’s Grand Prix and made it stick. A P1 and a P2 saw him end the weekend as the championship leader for the first time in his MotoGP career.
Will Pedro Acosta reach the same heights in MotoGP as Marc Marquez?
Pedro Acosta showed Ducati that they have landed ‘a major player’
Marquez’s battle with Acosta was doubly significant because they are set to be teammates next year.
While KTM are still hoping to keep Acosta, they acknowledge that it’s unlikely. The consensus is that he has agreed to take the seat currently occupied by Francesco Bagnaia.
Ducati underperformed in Thailand, but they took encouragement from Marquez’s continued ability to fight at the front despite physical limitations.
According to Borja Gonzalez, they were also ‘happy’ about Acosta’s display, which underlined that they have signed a top-level rider.
“Within Ducati, they were happy with Marc’s performance,” Mela Chercoles said on Hospitality Motociclismo. “Someone dressed in red mentioned that. He knows that, even without being at his best, he managed to scrape a second [in the Sprint] and he was on track for second or third on Sunday.
Gonzalez replied: “I’ve also heard, they told me they were happy with Pedro Acosta’s performance! We all knew that they’ve landed a major player in the rider market.”
What was really behind Marc Marquez’s dig at Pedro Acosta?
In a playful exchange after the Sprint race, Marquez told Acosta: “You’re the [championship] leader… until tomorrow!”
After holding onto his advantage on Sunday – Acosta is seven points clear of Marco Bezzecchi – he told the press that ‘it wasn’t a one-day lead, like Marc said’.
Was Marc Marquez’s dig at Pedro Acosta really necessary?
Acosta told reporters in Thailand that 'it wasn't a one-day [championship] lead like Marc said'.
Marquez then upped the intensity of the back-and-forth by reminding Acosta that he won the world championship as a rookie. While ‘The Shark of Mazarron’ took victory in the Sprint, he’s still chasing his first fully-fledged win.
The respect between Marquez and Acosta was clear before the Sprint podium ceremony, but the weekend also felt like an important development in their rivalry before their blockbuster 2027 match-up.
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