Marco Bezzecchi
KTM rider Pedro Acosta was reportedly ready to snub Ducati for Honda if one condition was met.
On Tuesday, it was announced that Marc Marquez had signed a new Ducati contract, which is set to keep him at the team through to the end of 2028 MotoGP season.
After Marquez’s future was confirmed, the attention quickly shifted to who would be the seven-time MotoGP world champion’s teammate at Ducati.
It has been well documented that Francesco Bagnaia would leave Ducati, a move that was officially finalised on Wednesday.
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Pedro Acosta would have joined Honda if Marc Marquez signed for them
Ducati then confirmed that Acosta would be Marquez’s teammate from the 2027 season.
It has been noted that Acosta will ride for Ducati for the 2027 and 2028 seasons at the very least.
Following the confirmation of Acosta’s expected transfer from KTM to Ducati, it has been claimed that the 22-year-old was ready to sign for Honda if one condition was met.
As reported by Spanish news outlet AS, Acosta had the privilege of being able to ‘choose his destination’, with options like staying with KTM, signing for Honda or joining Ducati.
It is believed that Acosta ‘actually met’ with Honda, presumably to discuss a potential transfer.
However, Acosta made it ‘absolutely clear’ that he wanted to ride for the same team as Marquez, in order to test himself against the best on equal terms.
The report stated that ‘those who know him’ claimed that he would have stayed with KTM if Marquez had joined, something that has been described as ‘never on the table’.
Meanwhile, had Marquez opted to make a return to Honda, a team he raced for from 2013 to 2023, Acosta would have jumped at the chance to sign for the Japanese manufacturer.
However, Marquez decided to commit to Ducati, which meant Acosta’s decision was clear and simple: he would link up with the seven-time world champion in red from 2027.
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READ MORE: Carlo Pernat claims Pedro Acosta is ‘getting tired’ of KTM and ‘can’t wait’ to join Ducati
Upon confirming Acosta’s move, Ducati general manager Luigi Dall’Igna stated that the young Spaniard is the ‘ideal candidate’ for the team’s future.
The Italian went on to praise Acosta’s ‘undisputed talent’ and ‘precocity’, adding that his arrival will help Ducati grow and move forward.
Dall’Igna said in a statement: “Pedro represents the ideal candidate for the future of the Ducati Lenovo Team. After Marc’s confirmation, we wanted to add a young and fast rider to the Desmosedici GP development project.
“Pedro, in addition to being an undisputed talent, has demonstrated extraordinary precocity. In just under six years in the Championship, he has won two titles in the lower classes and achieved truly convincing performances in MotoGP.
“His arrival in the Team will be a stimulus for everyone; he will help us grow, and we will support him on the path to full maturity as a rider.
“I am confident that, with the encouragement of our Team and given the right amount of time, his contribution, for sure, will ensure a further step forward in terms of performance and goals.”
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