Marco Bezzecchi
Davide Tardozzi has revealed that Marc Marquez told Ducati that the team made the “right decision” signing Pedro Acosta to replace Francesco Bagnaia from next season.
This week has seen three major announcements from the Bologna Bullets about their rider line-up for 2027. The first arrived this Tuesday as Ducati confirmed that Marquez has signed a new contract through 2028, followed by Bagnaia’s exit and Acosta’s arrival on Wednesday.
It had been an open secret for months that Acosta will join Ducati from 2027 on a two-year contract. It was also widely known but only announced on Thursday that Bagnaia will move to Aprilia in 2027, with the Noale outfit signing the two-time champion on a four-year deal.
How would you handle being Marc Marquez’s teammate?
Davide Tardozzi claims Marc Marquez told Ducati they made the ‘right decision’ signing Pedro Acosta
Ducati will now enter a new era for themselves at the start of MotoGP’s 850cc regulations in 2027, with Acosta joining Marquez in Borgo Panigale to create an all-Spanish rider line-up. It will be the first time in Ducati’s MotoGP history that they will not enter a single Italian rider.
READ MORE: The best moments of Pedro Acosta’s MotoGP career
Sparks are expected to fly between Acosta and Marquez at Ducati next term, as a rising star goes up against one of the greatest riders of all time. But team manager Tardozzi has stated that Marquez welcomed the news of Acosta’s imminent transfer when Ducati informed him.
“When we told him we were signing Pedro, he clapped his hands and told us we’d made the right decision,” Tardozzi said, via quotes by SPEEDWEEK.
Tardozzi is confident that Acosta will be able to show his full potential in red once he moves to Ducati, having not yet been able to show in MotoGP the skill he displayed en route to the premier class. Acosta has yet to win a MotoGP Grand Prix, having spent his first three years in the championship with KTM riding a bike that has rarely truly challenged Ducati or Aprilia.
“We think Pedro is one of the most talented young riders in this paddock,” Tardozzi outlined. “If you look at what he’s shown since the beginning of his career in the Rookies Cup, Moto3, and Moto2, it’s been fantastic.
“Unfortunately, he hasn’t yet been able to replicate those results from the earlier classes in MotoGP, but he will.”
Davide Tardozzi knows that Francesco Bagnaia with Aprilia will be a ‘problem’ for Ducati
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Tardozzi has long been a big believer in Acosta’s skill, after seeing him win the Moto3 title as a rookie in 2021 and go on to win the Moto2 title in 2023. In the past, Tardozzi called Acosta “the future of MotoGP” and will now get the chance to work with the 22-year-old next year.
But while Tardozzi will welcome Acosta’s move to Ducati to partner Marquez from 2027, he does not forget what Bagnaia has brought the Bologna Bullets in recent years. Tardozzi has no doubt that Bagnaia will become a “problem” for Ducati once he heads to Aprilia, as well.
Tardozzi said: “We’ve built a personal relationship with Pecco over the last eight years. It will be fun to have him as a competitor next year. We know Pecco will be a ‘problem’ for us. He’s a very fast rider.
“Ultimately, we’ll always keep him in our hearts. He became world champion twice and runner-up twice with us. He has achieved 31 GP wins and 63 podium finishes.
“He’s the Ducati rider with the most wins. But Pecco isn’t just a good and talented rider for Ducati, he’s also a very good friend, and that will continue to be the case.”
Bagnaia fought for the MotoGP title each season from 2021 to 2024 upon joining the factory Ducati team after spending two years placed at Pramac. The Italian’s titles in 2022 and 2023 also marked the Borgo Panigale natives’ first championships since Casey Stoner’s 2007 title.
But Bagnaia’s disappointing 2025 season as he fell to fifth in the standings, whilst Marquez won the title with 257 more points despite missing the final four rounds, set the course for Ducati to sign Acosta. Now, Bagnaia will try to give Ducati a “problem” with Aprilia in 2027.
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