MELANDRI BACKS ACOSTA TO CHALLENGE MARQUEZ AT DUCATI IN 2027

Marco Melandri believes Pedro Acosta’s first MotoGP Grand Prix victory could be the breakthrough that makes him a serious threat to Marc Marquez when the pair become Ducati teammates in 2027.

Ducati is preparing an unprecedented factory line-up featuring two Spanish riders. Francesco Bagnaia is being released, and Acosta is set to join Marquez, who has made the team his own since arriving in 2025. The move comes as Ducati looks ahead to the 850cc era and Acosta’s KTM contract expires.

Melandri sees Acosta’s August win in Austria, achieved on the KTM RC16, as more than a sporting milestone. The former MotoGP rider told Benzine: “Up to now, he’s been regarded as a phenomenon, but he’s always struggled – it was never clear how much was down to the bike and how much wasn’t.” With the bike performing well, Melandri said, Acosta was “terrifying” in Austria and “absolutely dominated with ease.”

He believes the victory could have a lasting psychological effect. “Winning after such a long time of being there but unable to win gives him that extra something that means next year he’ll truly, truly be the man,” Melandri said. He added that Acosta could “put an end to the Marquez era,” while noting that Marquez himself knows he is “getting on in years.”

Marquez’s record since joining Ducati gives Acosta a formidable benchmark. He claimed the 2025 title with five rounds still to run, winning 11 of the 18 Grands Prix and 14 Sprints he contested. He is also in contention for another championship in 2026: with five rounds remaining, he trails Aprilia’s Jorge Martin by just two points. Marquez has already taken six Grand Prix victories and eight Sprint wins this season.

Acosta has had a taste of racing Marquez directly. At the Thailand Grand Prix, Marquez was penalised with a one-place drop after forcing Acosta off track while taking the lead on the penultimate lap of the Sprint. The penalty handed Acosta his first Sprint victory, but the KTM rider said he did not feel “like a winner” because of how it came about.

Melandri’s prediction rests on Acosta carrying the confidence of his Austrian breakthrough into Ducati. Whether that will be enough to displace Marquez remains to be seen, but the two are set to share the factory garage as Ducati begins a new chapter in 2027.