Marco Bezzecchi
The chaotic nature of the MotoGP rider market will see Marc Marquez have a new teammate at Ducati in 2027, and he has named the rider he would have signed first as a team manager.
Marquez will stay with Ducati until 2028 after signing a new two-year contract extension. But it is all change on the other side of the garage, as Francesco Bagnaia makes way for Pedro Acosta.
The Borgo Panigale outfit will have an all-Spanish rider line-up for the next two seasons, giving them arguably one of the strongest pairings in MotoGP history. It has got many people excited about Ducati’s prospects in the 850cc era.
Where does Marc Marquez/Pedro Acosta rank among the all-time great MotoGP line-ups?
Marc Marquez admits he’d have signed Pedro Acosta ‘first’ before himself as a team manager
Marquez privately thought Ducati made the ‘right decision’ signing Acosta, as Davide Tardozzi revealed. The Ant of Cervera has shown respect to the KTM rider during their battles on track, and now they will share the factory red colours of Ducati.
Marquez is well aware of Acosta’s talents and potential, seeing him as perhaps the ‘most sought-after’ rider on the market for 2027. Speaking to DAZN from Assen, he admits that he would have signed the Shark ‘first’ as a team manager, even before himself.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Marc Marquez from net worth to girlfriend
“Pedro Acosta is one of the riders on the market – if not the most sought-after of all,” he said. “Ducati have made a move there. If I’d been team manager, I’d go for Pedro Acosta first and then whoever comes next, be it Marc Márquez or someone else.
“I’ve got Marc Márquez there with one and a half arms. I’d go for the young, talented rider who shows real grit and is physically fresh, if I were thinking of the team.
“Obviously, I think he’ll be one of the riders who’ll define an era. Now, with next year’s bike, but we’ll have time to talk about that later.
“One’s from Murcia and the other’s Catalan, but we’re both Spanish. So, we must have something in common.”
How would you handle being Marc Marquez’s teammate?
Acosta was desperate to ride the same bike as Marquez and take the fight to him on equal machinery. In fact, Acosta was prepared to join Honda if the seven-time MotoGP champion moved there too.
Many are tipping the two to have the battle of the ages at Ducati. But Acosta insists there is ‘no rivalry’ with Marquez right now ahead of his move to the Borgo Panigale outfit next season.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
