Is Marc Marquez sending a message to Ducati with surprising 2027 grid predictions?

Marc Marquez’s surprising predictions for the 2027 MotoGP grid have caused a stir, as he elects to exclude himself and not place Pedro Acosta at Ducati.

With almost all contracts on the grid up for renewal at the end of this year, the 2027 rider market has already thrown up some major surprises.

Ahead of the Sepang pre-season test, reports emerged that Fabio Quartararo has signed for Honda, with Jorge Martin replacing him at Yamaha.

Pedro Acosta was also reported to have signed a deal to join Ducati, which would place him alongside Marc Marquez at the factory team.

Pecco Bagnaia has been strongly linked to an Aprilia move, while Alex Marquez is being tipped to replace Acosta at the factory KTM squad.

Ducati has expressed its desire to renew Marc Marquez as a priority before considering its next moves, though it admits there have been complications in getting a deal over the line.

While it is widely expected that Marquez and Ducati will ultimately agree to terms, the seven-time champion has caused a stir on social media with his predictions for the 2027 grid in a video from the official MotoGP website.

Marquez’s choices are tongue-in-cheek, but also carry a message to Ducati

In the video, Marquez puts his younger brother Alex Marquez at the factory Ducati squad and elects to place Acosta alongside him initially.

Then he changes his mind and places Bagnaia there instead, remarking that “this would be a good team”.

He places Acosta at Honda alongside Martin instead, while leaving himself off the grid predictions.

Asked if he was going on holiday, Marquez replied: “Maybe, you never know.”

Intended to be a joke, Marquez’s picks for the factory Ducati team hint at a message to the Italian factory over its choices.

While he has already said he would not stand in the way of someone like Acosta becoming his team-mate, Marquez has also been hugely complimentary of Bagnaia as a Ducati rider.

Unsurprisingly, he will also feel like his younger brother Alex Marquez - runner-up in the standings last year - has earned a look at a factory Ducati seat.

But, should the rider market progress in the way that it has been reported, Ducati looks set to lose Bagnaia and Alex Marquez from its stable in 2027.