Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta has issued a response to Marc Marquez’s claim that he is lucky the KTM star is not currently riding a Ducati following their battle at the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out.
The two highly ambitious Spaniards locked horns once more at the most recent round of racing at Balaton Park, with Marquez ending up on top as he claimed the first Grand Prix victory of his title defence this year.
Do you agree with Pedro Acosta’s verdict on Francesco Bagnaia losing to Marc Marquez at Ducati?
Both Acosta and Marquez were in a class of their own atop the Hungarian tarmac, with both riders finishing nearly 10 seconds ahead of Francesco Bagnaia, who joined them on the podium in P3.
In his post-race comments, the Ant of Cervera applauded his rival’s racecraft on sub-optimal machinery, highlighting how he is ‘lucky’ that Acosta wasn’t riding a Ducati at the time.
Not only that, but Marquez also dropped the biggest hint yet that Acosta will be a factory Ducati rider in 2027. While it remains one of the worst-kept secrets in the MotoGP paddock, official confirmation of the 22-year-old’s move is yet to land.
Pedro Acosta issues response to Marc Marquez’s ‘lucky’ claim after Balaton Park
During the Murcian native’s Thursday afternoon media duties in Brno ahead of this weekend’s Czech Grand Prix, he was asked for his thoughts on Marquez’s words that came after the chequered flag in Hungary.
What does Marc Marquez’s tense battle with Pedro Acosta in Hungary get out of 10?
Acosta remained tight-lipped on his move up the pit-lane for next year, simply responding via DAZN, “Time will tell. In the end, I’m dressed in orange, and I’m trying to do the best I can.
“It’s true that we’re doing exactly what I wanted at the beginning of the year: make fewer mistakes, try to have more consistency, which is what I lacked last year to have a better season.”
Despite Acosta not officially racing for the Italian constructor this year, he recently revealed how he pushed KTM to ‘copy’ one aspect of Ducati’s bike this year.
Following months of frustrations with the Mattighofen-based outfit, Acosta came to the end of his tether with KTM, citing the short nature of a rider’s career as the main reason behind his lack of patience.
- READ MORE: Pedro Acosta says ‘it’s just a matter of time’ before Marc Marquez rival is a ‘hammer’ in title race
While things are still very much amicable between Marquez and Acosta at the moment, things are expected to become more heated once they are pitted against each other on identical machinery next year.
MotoGP’s new era of regulations also promises an equal playing field for the Murcian’s debut campaign in red. However, Marquez will still be treated to some extra time atop Ducati’s 2027 bike due to the premier class’s testing schedule ahead of its debut.
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