Casey Stoner backs Pedro Acosta’s Ducati MotoGP move, “feels sorry” for Pecco Bagnaia
Casey Stoner expects Pedro Acosta to become a major MotoGP threat at Ducati, but believes he must show greater patience.
Double MotoGP champion Casey Stoner is tipping Pedro Acosta to be “a big threat” at Ducati next season.
The Australian, who handed Ducati its first MotoGP title in 2007, said you “can’t argue” with the factory’s choice of rising star Acosta alongside reigning champion Marc Marquez.
However, he believes Acosta might need to show a little more patience to win the world championship, while feeling “very sorry” for Marquez’s current team-mate Pecco Bagnaia, who “got the short straw”.
“You can’t argue with the [2027 Ducati] line-up,” Stoner told MotoGP.com.
“Marc is incredibly dependable. You know what he is going to be able to produce. He's an incredible talent and doesn't seem to matter what injury he has, he always just keeps fighting through, finding a way to get results.
“Pedro, we've seen the talent for sure. I think I would like to see a little bit more patience, because I feel that there's certain riders on the grid he doesn't like to see in front, so he will do anything to be in front of them.
“And if you're going to win championships, this doesn't really work. You really need to know some days you're not going to win, and you need to accept that.
“So, I think Pedro sometimes could be maybe a little bit more patient, then we can see the talent come out a lot more, and when the time comes, he will, for sure, be a big threat, especially on a bike that is proven.
“[With] the KTM it’s really difficult to know where the level is, and then once we see Pedro on the on the Ducati, we'll know a lot more.”
“I feel very sorry for Pecco”
Meanwhile, Bagnaia, Ducati’s most successful MotoGP rider, will move to Aprilia.
“I feel very sorry for Pecco, because for sure the last period he struggled a little bit. So everybody lost faith in in Pecco, because they were saying he's just complaining it's the same bike, blah, blah, blah,” Stoner said.
“But I could see from the outside that the bike was not the same.
“This is a really smooth rider, really smooth guy on all these elements, and I was watching the bike do things that it shouldn't be doing.
“Considering Pecco is the one that really gave them their first championship since mine - back-to-back - and was second either side of that… he got the short straw, for sure.
“I'm excited to see what can happen for him to find some new motivation, hopefully a new family in Aprilia and get back to his ways and where he was confident.”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
