“I can do something more” - Pedro Acosta on KTM to Ducati MotoGP move
Pedro Acosta says belief that he can achieve more in MotoGP drove his decision to leave KTM for Ducati.
Being KTM’s standout MotoGP rider for the past two seasons, while the RC16 has remained a step behind the leading bikes, prompted Pedro Acosta to seek a “new challenge” at Ducati for 2027.
“It's true that a point arrived where I need a new challenge,” Acosta told Motorsport.com.
“I don't want this to sound egocentric, but, apart from the first year in MotoGP, I was being the first KTM for a while. And maybe I need a new challenge or something that give me a bit of [spark].
“Like I say always, KTM gave me everything they have in the hands. They gave me the chance to win a Moto3 Championship, they give me all the tools to win a Moto2 Championship.
“And if the challenge that we have to make a competitive [MotoGP] bike was becoming closer, maybe I was thinking to stay. But unfortunately, it's not the moment to stay, maybe.”
He added: “I believed in [these] three years. And I give chance after chance after chance after chance, you know? But I’m still thinking that I can do something more. Maybe for this is coming the decision to leave.”
Acosta blazed a trail through Moto3 and Moto2, winning two world titles and 16 grands prix in the space of three seasons.
Placed at Tech3 by KTM for his rookie 2024 MotoGP campaign, Acosta was tipped to threaten Marc Marquez’s record as the youngest premier-class race winner.
Instead, two and a half years later, he is still waiting for his first MotoGP victory, with the highlight so far a Sprint win at this year’s Buriram season opener.
Asked how he feels about the victory drought, Acosta replied:
“Well, last year, as you could remember, was not easy to manage. Because I was still thinking that it was my fault. And when something is your fault, it's even more difficult to take the stress out.
“Maybe the person who helped me the most to understand that maybe it was not me that was wrong was Carmelo Morales, a former rider who is now my coach.
“Maybe he had another point of view about races, because he's older than me. And he really helped me to understand that we have a limitation [with the bike]. This is clear.
“And the problem was that I was giving much more than I was able to manage, and every time that I did that, I was finishing on the ground. I was struggling a lot to finish the races.
“It's true that a moment arrived when, even if it's not my style, you have to say, ‘Okay, top five is not that bad, top six is not that bad. Maybe the day that we are more or less competitive, we can fight for a podium’.
“Mainly it's for that reason that maybe this year I'm much more competitive, or even with the problems that we were having in the first part of the season, I was more or less able to be close to the top three, I will say.”
Acosta starts his final ten rounds at KTM holding seventh in the world championship, but with more than double the points of the next-best RC16 rider, Enea Bastianini.
KTM will field an all-new factory line-up of Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio for the start of the new 850cc/Pirelli era in 2027.
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.
