Marco Bezzecchi
KTM star Pedro Acosta has asked Ducati to have Cristian Gabarrini as his crew chief in 2027 ahead of joining the Italian factory, which could derail Francesco Bagnaia’s plan.
Acosta is widely expected to replace Bagnaia at Ducati next year, as the Borgo Panigale crew are believed to have already reached an agreement with the KTM ace for 2027. Acosta is set to be a free agent at the close of 2026, when Bagnaia is also set to see his contract expire.
Reports emerged in February that Ducati believe they had to sign Acosta for 2027 to avoid a rival manufacturer snatching the Spaniard. Bagnaia had even left Ducati bosses with a lot of concerns after he only ranked fifth in the 2025 standings following his late-season collapse.
Bagnaia is now expected to land on his feet with a transfer to Aprilia next year, as the Noale natives had to react to Yamaha signing Jorge Martin for 2027. It is believed that Bagnaia has agreed a four-year contract with Aprilia that carries break clauses for after the 2028 season.
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Ducati expect Cristian Gabarrini to accept Pedro Acosta’s request to be his crew chief in 2027
It is also believed that Bagnaia wants to take Gabarrini with him to Aprilia in 2027, as he has kept the same crew chief since the 29-year-old debuted in MotoGP with Pramac in 2019. Yet reports claim that Ducati plan to block Bagnaia from taking Gabarrini to Aprilia next season.
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Additionally, Motorport.com now reports that Acosta has even asked Ducati for Gabarrini as his crew chief upon his arrival from KTM next season. Ducati figures also internally share the belief that everything points to Gabarrini working with Acosta, rather than Bagnaia, in 2027.
Acosta already has a ‘good’ relationship with Gabarrini and the pair are understood to speak regularly, as the Murcian wants to learn everything he can from the Italian about what made Casey Stoner tick. Gabarrini worked for Stoner when he won his titles for Ducati and Honda.
So, Acosta sees the chance to have Gabarrini as his crew chief as a ‘gift’, as he can tap into the Italian’s in-depth knowledge about how Stoner worked in a garage and what he wanted from his bike. Gabarrini, however, is still weighing up which rider he intends to work beside.
So far in his MotoGP career, Acosta has exclusively worked with Paul Trevathan as his crew chief. Acosta inherited Trevathan’s support when KTM placed him at Tech3 for his debut in 2024, as Trevathan had already worked for the team as Pol Espargaro’s crew chief in 2023.
Trevathan even remained by Acosta’s side when the 21-year-old stepped up to the factory KTM team in 2025. Acosta’s development is a source of pride for Trevathan, but their time together may be coming to an end if Gabarrini accepts Acosta and Ducati’s plans for 2027.
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