– Ducati has put together a rider pairing for the 2027 MotoGP season that could hardly promise more talent: Marc Marquez will remain with the factory team for another two years, Pedro Acosta is moving from KTM to the Reds.
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The seven-time MotoGP world champion and one of the greatest talents of the new generation will thus be teammates from 2027. For Casey Stoner, a logical choice.
The two-time MotoGP world champion, who himself rode for Ducati from 2011 to 2012, sees above all one thing in the constellation: enormous potential. “You can’t argue against this lineup,” says the Australian in an interview with MotoGP.com. Especially Marquez is a sure bet for him.
“Marc is incredibly reliable. You know what he can deliver,” explains Stoner. The Spaniard has exceptional talent and has repeatedly proven that even physical setbacks cannot permanently slow him down. “It seems to make no difference what injury he has. He always fights through and finds a way to get results.”
With Marquez, Ducati has therefore not only chosen a multiple world champion but a rider whose experience and ability to turn even difficult situations into results will likely be of considerable value, especially with regard to the major regulation change in 2027.
Stoner sees a work in progress with Acosta
Acosta, on the other hand, brings a different quality. The Spaniard has already won world titles in Moto3 and Moto2 and has quickly established himself in the premier class.
In 2024, he was Rookie of the Year, in 2025 he finished the world championship in fourth place and collected a total of 13 podiums. Ducati described him at the announcement of the switch as one of the most talented and promising riders of the current generation.
Stoner also does not doubt the riding skills of the 21-year-old. However, he sees one point where Acosta needs to develop further. “We have definitely seen the talent,” says Stoner, but adds: “I would like to see a bit more patience from him.”
Photo series: Before Bagnaia and Marquez: They were Ducati teammates in MotoGP
The Australian particularly has Acosta’s pronounced will to win in mind. There are certain riders in the field that Acosta apparently does not like to see ahead of him. Then he tends to try everything to get past them.
However, this mentality could become a problem on the way to a world championship, warns the ex-MotoGP rider: “If you want to win championships, that doesn’t really work.” A title contender must be able to accept that some days simply offer no chance of victory.
“You have to know that you won’t win on some days. And you have to accept that and also accept certain results,” says Stoner. Acosta must therefore occasionally show a bit more patience. Then, the Australian believes, his real potential could become even more apparent.
Ducati as a benchmark for Acosta’s level
At the same time, Stoner sees the switch to Ducati as a great opportunity to finally find out how far Acosta really is from the absolute top. “When the time comes, he will definitely be a big threat, especially on a competitive motorcycle,” he believes. At KTM, on the other hand, it is difficult to assess how high the actual performance level of the motorcycle is.
This also makes the switch interesting for Stoner from a sporting perspective. Only when Acosta is on the Ducati can his performance be better assessed in direct comparison with Marquez and the competition. “As soon as we see Pedro on the Ducati, we will know a lot more,” the Australian looks ahead.
For Ducati, this is an extraordinary starting position: Márquez brings experience, Acosta the perspective on the future. Both are Spaniards, both belong to the outstanding talents of their generation, and both will fight from 2027 in the same factory team with the same technical resources.
Nationality is secondary for Stoner
However, Stoner does not consider it relevant that Ducati, as an Italian brand, is relying on an all-Spanish factory duo for the first time in a long time. For successful collaboration, a team does not have to have the same nationality as its riders.
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“You don’t have to have the same nationality to find a really good connection and a good working relationship,” emphasizes Stoner. It’s about performance and loyalty.
As evidence, the Australian points to Ducati’s past. In 2009 and 2010, an Australian-American rider duo worked for the factory team. Beyond that, Ducati has repeatedly celebrated great successes with riders of different origins: Troy Bayliss, Carl Fogarty, Troy Corser, and Chaz Davies.
For Stoner, it is clear: “Performance comes first. I think loyalty is also important.” The Spanish lineup with Marquez and Acosta is thus less a cultural statement than a decision for maximum sporting quality.
Stoner admits: I feel sorry for Bagnaia
With Acosta’s signing, Ducati’s factory era with Francesco Bagnaia also ends. The Italian will leave the team after the 2026 season and will race for Aprilia from 2027, where he will form an all-Italian factory team together with Marco Bezzecchi. Bagnaia signed a four-year contract with Aprilia.
Stoner shows a lot of sympathy for the two-time MotoGP world champion. Bagnaia has indeed had difficulties recently, but the Australian considers the public assessment of the Italian to be too superficial.
“I really feel sorry for Pecco because he definitely struggled a bit recently,” says Stoner. As a result, many people lost confidence in Bagnaia and accused him of merely complaining about the motorcycle.
However, Stoner himself perceived the situation differently. “From the outside, I could see that the motorcycle was not the same,” he explains. Bagnaia in particular is an extremely smooth rider. For Stoner, it was all the more noticeable how differently the Ducati Desmosedici sometimes behaved.
“I observed the motorcycle doing things it really shouldn’t be doing,” he says. For him, not everything could be explained by a dip in the rider’s form.
Bagnaia “got the short end of the stick”
Stoner also recalls Bagnaia’s contribution to Ducati’s rise. The Italian enabled Ducati to win its first title since his own championship with the manufacturer and then won another world championship.
Bagnaia became world champion in 2022 and defended the title in 2023. In 2021 and 2024, he was runner-up each time. For years, he was the central Ducati rider in the fight for the world championship and at the same time the one who finally brought the project back to the top after the long Stoner era ended.
“Considering that Pecco gave them the first title since my title, then two in a row, and before and after was runner-up each time, and really was the only Ducati rider at the top, then he definitely got the short end of the stick,” because he is losing his place in the Ducati factory team to Acosta.
Ducati itself justified the decision with the long-term building of the team and the combination of Marquez’s experience and Acosta’s development potential.
Stoner hopes for Bagnaia comeback at Aprilia
At the same time, Stoner does not necessarily see a step down for Bagnaia in the switch to Aprilia. On the contrary: the Australian hopes that he will find new motivation there and return to the form in which he appeared confident and free.
“I’m also curious about what can happen with him,” says Stoner. From his point of view, it is crucial that Bagnaia enters a new environment and possibly a new family atmosphere within the team at Aprilia to “return to his old form and the confidence he had.”
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