ACOSTA EYES A CHANCE TO LEARN FROM MARQUEZ AT DUCATI

Pedro Acosta sees his move to Ducati’s factory MotoGP team in 2027 as a rare chance to learn from Marc Marquez, rather than an immediate contest to beat him. The two Spaniards will share a garage and race on the same machinery, but Acosta says his first priority will be understanding how Ducati operates after six years with KTM.

“It's one of the last opportunities a young rider will have to learn from him before he stops,” Acosta told Spanish newspaper AS. He plans to settle in first, then gradually pick up ideas from his new teammate. “My most important goal will be to find out how the team works and how they do things. After six years at KTM, I know very well how it works there. But I know nothing about how it will be at Ducati.”

Acosta is not expecting Marquez to volunteer every secret. Asked whether he would help a young rival learn in his position, he laughed: “He’ll have to push in the races. So he won’t have any other choice.”

The 22-year-old places Marquez alongside Valentino Rossi among the greatest riders in history, while distinguishing their influence. “They are the best in history. I see them at the same level,” he said. Rossi, in Acosta’s view, had a greater impact beyond the track, moving crowds around the world, while Marquez’s achievements came against a formidable generation. “Marc competed against the great riders like Pedrosa, Lorenzo and Valentino, and beat them. He didn’t race against Stoner. He achieved an enormous amount on track, perhaps much more than outside it.”

Comparisons between himself and Marquez are flattering, Acosta added, but do not make them alike. “It’s always nice to be compared with a rider who has done so much for the sport and achieved so much on track. But despite possible similarities, Marc and I are two quite different people.”

Before the Ducati chapter begins, Acosta remains focused on KTM. His first MotoGP victory, in Austria, brought major relief after a difficult period of doubt. “That first win was very necessary for me. It was the only reason I got up every morning,” he said, recalling his frustration at struggling to reproduce the success he had enjoyed in other categories and at earlier stages of his career.

He believes the victory arrived at the right time. After a challenging previous season, he began producing results again and felt ready for a new challenge. He also pointed to the progress of rivals as a reason further wins had been hard to secure: Ducati raised its level, Marquez’s arrival on the factory bike lifted the championship, and Aprilia made a major step forward. “For some reason, we couldn’t make that step in three years,” Acosta said of KTM.

The 2027 competitive order remains uncertain, however. Acosta does not assume Ducati will automatically have the strongest package under the new regulations. He said the picture is still open, and suggested KTM, Aprilia and Ducati may not yet have shown everything. Beyond different tyres and slower motorcycles, he said, “we don’t really know what to expect.”