Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta has claimed that Marc Marquez is ‘under pressure’ to fight for the 2026 MotoGP title despite his points deficit.
Last time out, Marquez won the Hungarian Grand Prix in just his second race after another shoulder surgery.
The 33-year-old won both the Sprint and the Grand Prix around Balaton Park, securing maximum points.
As a result, Marquez currently sits fifth in the world championship standings with 108 points, 72 points adrift of leader Marco Bezzecchi.
Aside from Bezzecchi, the likes of Jorge Martin, Fabio Di Giannantonio and Acosta also have a points advantage over Marquez.
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Pedro Acosta admits KTM are ‘quite far off’ challenging for the world title
Despite being 24 points ahead of Marquez, Acosta recently stated that the seven-time MotoGP world champion is ‘under pressure’ to fight for this year’s title.
The KTM rider also ruled himself out of the title race, stating that they are still ‘quite far off’.
As reported by Spanish news outlet Sport, Acosta was asked whether he is in the fight for the 2026 MotoGP world title.
He replied: “Not at the moment. We are quite far off and need more potential to fight for race wins first. It’s very difficult to claw back points if your best result is second, third, or even off the podium.
“Right now, Aprilia and Ducati—or Marco (Bezzecchi), Marc (Márquez), and Jorge (Martín)—are the ones under pressure to fight for the title.”
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When asked whether he believes the KTM bikes are a long way off Ducati and Aprilia, Bezzecchi said: “It’s hard to answer because I haven’t ridden Acosta’s bike, and he hasn’t ridden mine.
“Right now, things are going fantastically for us, and that’s what we’re focusing on; we aren’t focusing on the others.”
Meanwhile, Marquez appeared to agree with Acosta as he said: “For the moment, if you look at the standings, Aprilia and Ducati are ahead.
“What Marco says is true; it depends a lot on riding style. Depending on that, the bike might suit a rider’s style better or be more difficult to handle.”
Looking ahead to the Czech Grand Prix, Acosta was asked what level KTM will show this weekend.
The Spaniard replied: “For the moment, it is hard to say. More than our own potential, we need to understand the potential of the others.
“Because Aprilia is very strong with four riders, and Ducati is strong as always; so it will be a matter of seeing how our bike performs—it has improved a lot compared to last year.”
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