Official: Pedro Acosta to partner Marc Marquez at Ducati in MotoGP 2027
Pedro Acosta is officially confirmed as a factory Ducati rider for 2027, setting up a blockbuster MotoGP partnership with Marc Marquez.
It’s finally official: Pedro Acosta will leave KTM and join the factory Ducati team, alongside Marc Marquez, for the new 850cc MotoGP era in 2027.
The deal, which follows confirmation of the departure of Ducati’s double champion Francesco Bagnaia, brings together reigning champion Marc Marquez with one of the sport’s biggest rising stars.
Marquez's new Ducati contract was confirmed on Tuesday.
A Moto3 champion in his rookie season, Acosta added a Moto2 title at his second attempt before joining MotoGP in 2024.
Although yet to win a premier-class grand prix, Acosta has been head and shoulders clear of the other KTMs since the middle of last season.
The young Spaniard celebrated a maiden Sprint win at this year's Buriram opener and has battled for a grand prix victory on several occasions.
Defeat at the hands of Marc Marquez in Hungary made Acosta the most successful rider in terms of podiums (13) without a MotoGP victory.
Acosta now faces the formidable challenge of going head-to-head with one of MotoGP’s all-time greats in Marquez, while placing his faith in Ducati’s ability to retain its technical edge in the new 850cc/Pirelli era.
Dall'Igna: Pedro Acosta "an undisputed talent"
“Pedro represents the ideal candidate for the future of the Ducati Lenovo Team," said Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall'Igna "After Marc's confirmation, we wanted to add a young and fast rider to the Desmosedici GP development project.
"Pedro, in addition to being an undisputed talent, has demonstrated extraordinary precocity. In just under six years in the Championship, he has won two titles in the lower classes and achieved truly convincing performances in MotoGP.
"His arrival in the Team will be a stimulus for everyone; he will help us grow, and we will support him on the path to full maturity as a rider.
"I am confident that, with the encouragement of our Team and given the right amount of time, his contribution, for sure, will ensure a further step forward in terms of performance and goals”.
Bagnaia is set to join Aprilia, which is leading this year's world championship with Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Martin.
KTM, meanwhile, are set to announce an all-new factory line-up of Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio.
Pedro Acosta burst onto the grand prix scene by winning the 2021 Doha Moto3 Grand Prix from a pit lane start. He went on to become a rookie world champion before being fast-tracked by KTM into Moto2.
After three wins in an injury-interrupted debut season, Acosta swept to the Moto2 title in 2023, prompting KTM to find a MotoGP ride at Tech3 for the following year rather than risk losing the young Spaniard.
Acosta’s success and riding style prompted comparisons with countryman Marc Marquez, whose record as MotoGP’s youngest race winner looked under serious threat.
However, while soon spraying premier-class champagne, Acosta is yet to win a MotoGP race, finishing runner-up nine times in Sprints and Grands Prix over the past two seasons.
Promoted to the factory KTM team for 2025, Acosta had his sights set on being in the title fight. Instead, the RC16 project was unsettled by KTM’s winter financial crisis.
Speculation linking Acosta to Ducati soon followed, initially centred around a potential move to the factory-supported VR46 operation.
But after new Tech3 signing Maverick Vinales showed the RC16 could be competitive, plus some clear-the-air talks with KTM management, Acosta delivered a strong second-half charge to reach fourth in the world championship.
With team-mate Brad Binder only eleventh, it was Acosta’s margin over his fellow RC16 riders - all three of whom are multiple MotoGP winners - that increased his reputation in the eyes of the paddock.
VR46 made clear they still ‘dreamed’ of signing Acosta for 2027, but on the eve of pre-season testing, news broke of a factory Ducati deal for Acosta at the expense of Bagnaia.
With rider announcements put on hold by the MSMA/MotoGP SEG contract negotiations, it's taken until now for Acosta's deal to be officially confirmed.
With Marquez now 33 years old, Acosta is the first of several ‘next-generation’ talents set to ride for Ducati next season - alongside a new deal for Fermin Aldeguer (at VR46), the arrival of Nicolo Bulega (VR46) and rookie Dani Holgado (Gresini).
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