Pedro Acosta joins Ducati factory MotoGP team for 2027
After months of speculation, Ducati has confirmed Pedro Acosta as Francesco Bagnaia's replacement, pairing the Spaniard with Marc Marquez for MotoGP's all-new 2027 era.
Pedro Acosta will race for the Ducati Lenovo Team from the 2027 MotoGP season, with the Italian manufacturer confirming the Spaniard as the replacement for outgoing double world champion Francesco Bagnaia.
The move is one of the most significant rider transfers in recent MotoGP history and brings together one of the sport's most sought-after young talents with the manufacturer that has dominated the premier class in recent seasons.
While neither Acosta's dissatisfaction with KTM's uncertain future nor Ducati's interest in the Spaniard has been a secret, today's announcement finally confirms a move that many within the paddock have expected for months.
The timing of the move is important, too, with Acosta joining forces with Marquez under MotoGP's new-for-2027 regulations, which will see the championship switch to 850cc engines, reduced aerodynamic influence and the removal of ride-height and holeshot devices.
The signing comes shortly after Ducati confirmed that Bagnaia will leave the factory team at the end of the 2026 season, bringing to a close an eight-year relationship that delivered two MotoGP world titles and established the Italian as the most successful rider in Ducati's MotoGP history.
Speaking about the arrival of Acosta, Ducati Corse General Manager, Luigi Dall'Igna, said:
“Pedro represents the ideal candidate for the future of the Ducati Lenovo Team. After Marc's confirmation, we wanted to add a young and fast rider to the Desmosedici GP development project. Pedro, in addition to being an undisputed talent, has demonstrated extraordinary precocity.
"In just under six years in the Championship, he has won two titles in the lower classes and achieved truly convincing performances in MotoGP. His arrival in the Team will be a stimulus for everyone; he will help us grow, and we will support him on the path to full maturity as a rider. I am confident that, with the encouragement of our Team and given the right amount of time, his contribution, for sure, will ensure a further step forward in terms of performance and goals."
For Ducati, the decision to sign Acosta represents both a changing of the guard and an investment in the future.
Acosta arrived in MotoGP carrying enormous expectations after claiming Moto3 and Moto2 world titles at the first attempt. In MotoGP, despite racing with machinery that has often struggled to match Ducati's benchmark pace, the Spaniard has repeatedly demonstrated the aggression, racecraft and adaptability that made him one of the most highly rated prospects to emerge in the modern MotoGP era.
His performances over the past three seasons have only strengthened the belief that he is a future MotoGP world champion.
Pairing Acosta with Marquez also gives Ducati arguably the strongest rider line-up on the grid heading into the biggest technical reset the championship has seen for more than a decade.
The new regulations are expected to reduce Ducati's current performance advantage and place greater emphasis on rider ability and development direction. Securing a rider of Acosta's calibre ensures the Bologna manufacturer enters that new era with one of the sport's most valuable assets already under contract.
The move also raises fresh questions about KTM's long-term MotoGP plans. Acosta had been widely viewed as the cornerstone of the Austrian manufacturer's future, and losing him represents a major blow both on and off the track.
For Acosta, however, the attraction is obvious. Ducati machinery has won every riders' title since 2022 and remains the most premium package in MotoGP. The opportunity to join the factory squad gives the Spaniard his clearest route yet to fighting consistently for victories and championships.
Whether that success arrives immediately remains to be seen, particularly with the championship entering an entirely new technical era in 2027.
What is certain is that one of MotoGP's biggest talents now finds himself on the grid's most coveted motorcycle. For the rest of the paddock, that is a potentially frightening prospect.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
