Marco Bezzecchi
Pedro Acosta now finds himself in an awkward position with KTM feeling the brunt of his future employer’s frustration, with Ducati causing problems for the Austrian crew.
Ducati recently confirmed that Acosta will join them from 2027 once his contract at KTM has expired, having opted to replace Francesco Bagnaia. Acosta has signed a two-year contract with Ducati and will partner with Marc Marquez for the start of MotoGP’s 850cc regulations.
But while Acosta will become a Ducati rider next year, the Borgo Panigale natives will not do the Spaniard any favours and help KTM this term. And the reason why Ducati are refusing to help KTM should actually thrill Acosta, as it all relates to their 850cc package for next year.
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That is according to TodoCircuito, which reports that KTM have asked their rival constructors via the Motorsport Manufacturers Association (MSMA) for ‘help’, as they need the go-ahead from their rivals to open up their sealed engines and find the cause of their reliability issues.
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Gresini ace Marquez crashing into Acosta during the Catalan Grand Prix proved that KTM are in serious trouble, as their engines are cutting out without any warning. Yet only Aprilia have so far said they would support KTM opening up their engines, as it is said that Ducati, Honda and Yamaha would rather see the Austrian squad ‘struggle’ than make life ‘easier’ for them.
The reason why Ducati, in particular, are reluctant to help KTM is that their proposal to only run one bike during practice from 2027 has been met with opposition from their rival crews. Ducati suggested only having a second bike ready in the garage for qualifying and the races.
Ducati’s rivals have already made it clear that they ‘absolutely will not accept’ the proposal, which rumours suggest was based on the Borgo Panigale brand being ‘far ahead’ with their 850cc prototype and thus felt it could stifle the competition’s efforts to develop their bikes.
Now, KTM are ‘bearing the brunt’ of the ‘tension’ that has erupted due to Ducati’s proposal to only have one bike during practice falling flat. Yet given that Ducati wanted to reduce the number of bikes available for practice because they might be ahead with their 850cc bike, Acosta may actually like the Borgo Panigale crew’s petty response to KTM’s request for help.
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Ducati clearly wanted to lock in what they perceive to be an early advantage for the start of MotoGP’s major regulatory overhaul next year, when Acosta will join from KTM. Their rivals potentially having to sit out any sessions due to reliability issues or crashes could see Ducati stay at the front of the field for longer and Acosta have something he has never had at KTM.
KTM’s engine reliability problems are only part of the reason why Acosta is still searching for his first MotoGP Grand Prix win after 52 races. In the same period since Acosta debuted with Tech3 in 2024, Ducati riders have won 41 races, Aprilia riders 10 races and Honda riders one.
How dominant Ducati prove to be in the 850cc era remains to be seen, but the team appear to be confident ahead of Acosta’s arrival. Jorge Martin claims Ducati have told him that their 850cc bike is only “1.6 seconds slower” than their 1,000cc bike during a lap of Mugello, too.
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