Pedro Acosta to race for Ducati in 2027 alongside Marc Marquez

With Fabio Quartararo heading to Honda and Jorge Martin on his approach to Yamaha, Ducati has been the MotoGP crew underneath the least stress, largely due to the calm conveyed by Marc Marquez in his latest statements.

The Spaniard made it clear that his intention is to stay with the crew that allowed him to turn into world champion as soon as once more. Whereas the contract extension between Marquez and the Borgo Panigale producer remains to be pending just a few ultimate particulars, the alerts pointing to Pedro Acosta as his probably team-mate from 2027 onwards have been piling up in latest weeks.

Spanish newspaper AS is already reporting Acosta’s departure from KTM and his arrival at Ducati, the place he’s anticipated to kind essentially the most formidable pairing on the grid alongside the #93.

Motorsport.com understands that the settlement between the two-time world champion in Moto3 (2021) and Moto2 (2023) and the Italian producer is already sealed, pending the ultimate sharpening of Marquez’s contract clauses. As soon as that’s accomplished, the sequence of official bulletins is anticipated to observe, possible earlier than the opening spherical of the 2026 championship in early March.

Moreover, Motorsport.com has discovered that representatives of Francesco Bagnaia have been working for a while to search out the Italian rider a brand new seat. Widespread sense suggests he might match on virtually any bike, however a logical transfer would see him be part of one of many VR46 Desmosedici machines – permitting him to remain inside the Ducati household.

Nonetheless, it might not be far-fetched for him to crew up with Martin at Yamaha, and even for Honda to aim to assemble a high-profile line-up that includes Bagnaia alongside Quartararo. Aprilia, too, might think about making him a suggestion to accomplice Marco Bezzecchi, one in all his closest buddies within the MotoGP paddock.

Ducati’s transfer for Acosta could also be interpreted as notably aggressive, particularly provided that Bagnaia was not even afforded the possibility to show that final season’s downturn was merely a blip. Nonetheless, Motorsport.com understands that this offensive is rooted in a damage-prevention technique.

The urgency of the market, mixed with Marquez’s calls for for his new contract, compelled executives on the Bologna-based firm to behave decisively with the intention to safe a top-tier rider. With Acosta, Ducati additionally ensures itself a high-quality successor for the day Marquez decides to retire or search a brand new problem.

As if that weren’t sufficient, the need of the #37 to land at Ducati has meant that his calls for are possible decrease than they might have been in negotiations with a extra determined producer. Final yr, the KTM rider had already explored the potential for giving up the ultimate yr of his contract with the Mattighofen-based model with the intention to be part of VR46 for the 2026 season, the place he was welcomed as a possible alternative for Franco Morbidelli. 

Nonetheless, KTM’s administration didn’t even think about coming into negotiations over a potential exit. All through this era, KTM sporting director Pit Beirer tried to persuade the Spaniard to not rule out a contract renewal.

Acosta’s seat within the manufacturing unit KTM crew is anticipated to be taken by Maverick Vinales, whereas it stays unclear who would occupy the second bike, at present ridden by Brad Binder.

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– The Motorsport.com Workforce