Acosta: “Marquez is on the home stretch of his career, I am just at the beginning”

– On May 25 of this year, Pedro Acosta turned 22 years old. The Spaniard is thus 11 years younger than his compatriot Marc Marquez, who will occupy the other side of the Ducati box when Acosta makes his debut on the Desmosedici. That will happen on December 1 at the Valencia test. The test takes place two days after the final race of the 2026 MotoGP season – and thus also two days after the end of Acosta’s collaboration with KTM.

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The six-year partnership between Acosta and KTM will – unless something unforeseen happens by then – have produced a Moto3 title (2021) and a Moto2 title (2023). Besides these successes, however, a bittersweet feeling will remain, as it was not possible to fight for the MotoGP title. That was exactly the goal that originally motivated Acosta to dedicate his future to the Austrian manufacturer.

Today, Acosta is one of only four current full-time MotoGP riders without a Grand Prix win. At the beginning of the year, he made the decision to jump on the Ducati train led by Marquez – the undisputed benchmark of the championship and a rider widely regarded as the greatest of all time. On June 24, Acosta’s move from KTM to Ducati for the years 2027 and 2028 was officially announced.

It is a huge challenge that, according to Acosta, should be approached with calmness – without haste and, just as importantly, without premature expectations that could initially lead to nervousness and then to frustration.

“I have no idea what to expect in this box, but I don’t feel any pressure. Marc is on the home stretch of his career, I am just at the beginning of mine,” Acosta explains in a detailed interview with Autosport, a sister platform of Motorsport-Total.com in the Motorsport Network. The full interview will be published in the coming days.

In the interview, Acosta explains the thought process that led him to end his collaboration with KTM. He has concluded that his dream of winning the MotoGP title with the company from Mattighofen does not seem achievable in the short or medium term.

Nevertheless, Acosta is fully aware that he is joining a team that Marquez has made his own through his own performance and in which the reigning world champion feels completely at home.

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“Marc knows everyone in the factory. I will need time to get used to a completely Italian box after spending six years at KTM. I am facing a completely new chapter, so I don’t feel any pressure,” emphasizes Acosta.

Acosta has planned his entry into the team from Borgo Panigale in two phases. These coincide with the two years for which he is currently under contract: “Fortunately, I will be there for at least two years. That way, I have time in the first year to find my rhythm, and then in the second year, I can see how things go.”

Acosta is currently seventh in the 2026 MotoGP rider standings, 77 points behind leader Jorge Martin and 37 points behind Marquez in fourth place.

Despite the often somewhat disrespectful image he conveys, Acosta takes a deliberately reserved stance when asked to evaluate his move to the manufacturer that has won the last five MotoGP riders’ titles and has decided to place its trust in him.

“I am very grateful to Ducati for allowing me to be part of their project, even though I have not yet won a MotoGP race,” says Acosta.

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