The 2026 MotoGP rider market, up front, needs to be properly sorted. Most of the grid is already locked into contracts after the switch last year.
World champion Jorge Martin left Pramac, and in Ducati Stable, to join Aprilia. That Marc Marquez jumped from Gresini to the Bologna outfit team a year after his dramatic exit from Honda.
Marco Bezecchi joined Martin in April after leaving VR46. Pedro Acosta Tech 3 to graduate KTM. The other two factory outfits – Yamaha and Honda – both remained in the lineup.
Acosta signed a new multi-year contract last season, but it’s unclear whether KTM will be able to honor that deal. Their motorsport program is in jeopardy, while the company is self-administered after accumulating more than £2bn of debt.
Every manufacturer will definitely want an Acosta if KTM has to release it. The Spaniard put together one of his best rookie seasons last year.
While Acosta crashed more than the other driversThe biggest topic was his scintillating speed. He scored five Grand Prix podiums, including second place in Indonesia and Austin.
If Michele Pirro leaves KTM, he wants to tempt Pedro Acosta to Ducati
If Ducati is available from Acosta, it may have tried to find a place. They already have Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia in their core team, but the 20-year-old can deliver a current special bike on Gresini or VR46.
While Acosta may prefer a factory ride, he also knows that Ducati is the dominant force on the grid. They have won the last five Constructors’ Championships.
Speaking on the PessinoGP YouTube channel, Ducati challenger Michele Pirro admitted the team would love to have Acosta. He considers him as MotoGP’s next superstar.
The Murcian racer points his way up the Grand Prix ladder by winning both the Moto3 and Moto2 titles. Seven-time premier class champion Valentino Rossi also achieved that feat.
“I can tell you that I really want to see him on the Ducati,” said Pirro. “When a guy wins two world championships in three years and does what he’s done, you have to thank the world for giving you another champion.”
You should read what Pedro Acosta, the former boss of KTM, had to say about their 2025 plans
Aleix Espargaro believes Acosta can win the MotoGP title. At this time. KTM were the closest challengers to Ducati, at least in the constructors.
However, it remains to be seen how their off-track crisis will affect their fortunes. Of course, the former boss of the team Francesco Guidotti says for KTM ‘performance is not a priority’Focus on survival.
Likewise, Acosta may already be regretting the KTM deal.. Had he known what was coming, he might have chosen to enter the open market instead.
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