Marco Bezzecchi
Ducati have been at the centre of the first wave of 2027 MotoGP rider announcements this week.
First, they confirmed that reigning world champion Marc Marquez had signed a new contract, then came the news that teammate and Ducati legend Francesco Bagnaia was moving on.
This paved the way for them to announce Pedro Acosta, their blockbuster signing from KTM, and for Aprilia to unveil Bagnaia.
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Marc Marquez won’t go into ‘detail’ about Pedro Acosta
Inevitably, these moves dominated Thursday’s media day ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix. MotoGP’s media bosses even put Marquez alongside Bagnaia and Acosta in the official press conference.
The match-up between Marquez, a nine-time world champion, and Acosta, potentially the next face of the sport, is already one of the most anticipated in MotoGP history.
But speaking to DAZN in the media pen, Marquez was reluctant to go into ‘detail’ about Acosta, even if he regards him as a ‘great signing’ for Ducati.
He is keen to show ‘respect’ to Bagnaia, who remains the only rider to win multiple championships for Ducati. The pair were expected to become rivals when Marquez joined, but instead it appears a genuine friendship has developed.
Marquez said: “The new teammate has been announced: Pedro. A talented rider, very fast, young and physically fresh. I think it’s a great signing for Ducati, for the whole team”.
“But I’m not going to go into more detail because I also respect my current teammate, Pecco, a lot, so I think he deserves that respect.”
Acosta’s arrival has been announced unusually early, though it has been an open secret since the winter now. The rider market moved more swiftly than ever this year.
Bagnaia and Acosta won’t be the only riders who are facing an extended, perhaps awkward goodbye to their current teams. The same goes for Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha to Honda), Jorge Martin (Aprilia to Yamaha) and many more.
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