Marc Marquez warned of “monster” Pedro Acosta in 2027 MotoGP battle
Pedro Acosta’s crew chief thinks the Murcian will bring an all-new challenge to Marc Marquez when they team up at Ducati in 2027.
Marc Marquez has “never had anybody like Acosta next to him”, says the Murcian’s KTM crew chief Paul Trevathan.
Trevathan has worked with Acosta since the young Spaniard moved into MotoGP in 2024, fresh off his Moto2 title.
It’s not yet confirmed who Acosta and Trevathan will work with next year – when the former moves to Ducati, and when Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio arrive at the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team – although it’s expected that Acosta will be paired with one of the existing crew chiefs at Ducati, likely Christian Gabbarini who currently works with Francesco Bagnaia.
But the two have built up a strong rapport over the past two-and-a-half seasons as Acosta has become one of MotoGP’s most formidable, and often most frustrated, riders.
Much of that frustration was eroded last weekend when Acosta won for the first time in the premier class in Austria. A first MotoGP win is important for any rider, but especially one that is about to move into the box of Marc Marquez’s team-mate.
The last rider to move from KTM to be the now-nine-time champion’s team-mate was Pol Espargaro, who went winless and arrived back in the Austrian brand’s fold, still without a win, two seasons later.
With Acosta, things feel different, especially now having won a grand prix at the top level, and Trevathan thinks he will bring a challenge to Marquez that the Ducati Lenovo Team rider has not yet experienced.
“It’s a massive challenge,” said Trevathan, speaking to TNT Sports after the Austrian MotoGP about Acosta’s move to be Marquez’s team-mate at Ducati.
“The fight starts already in the box. Marc’s [Marquez] been the best at this in the world of getting under the skin of his team-mates and understanding how to get the company around him.
“But he’s also never had anybody like Acosta next to him, either.
“So, this will be interesting. The thing with Pedro is that, [...] even he said to me, it’s not about winning or losing, it’s about trying.
“If he [Marquez] beats him [Acosta] on the same bike, then he can walk away saying ‘Okay, the guy’s better’.
“But he really wants to to put himself in that position to try.
“Marc is a fantastic champion, a fantastic rider, and I take nothing away from him. But, like I said, I don’t think he’s really had a character, a monster next to him like Pedro.
“It will be fireworks for you guys, I tell you.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
