Marc Marquez hasn’t had too much competition at the front of the MotoGP pack in 2025 and leads the championship by 32 points after just eight rounds.
Without his brother’s strong challenge, he’s 93 points ahead of Ducati teammate Francesco Bagnaia and 136 points ahead of the first non-Ducati rider (Johann Zarco).
It’s no secret that Marquez is a special talent and able to work wonders on his bike, but is there anyone else who could beat him on the same machinery?
The most obvious candidate might be fellow countryman Pedro Acosta, who is young and exuberant at the age of 20 and has plenty of speed to offer. His current KTM spell has been a frustrating period for him.
Ducati insiders agree with Acosta about Bagnaia and do not believe that the two-time champion is their number two rider despite a tricky start to the season.
Aware of his biggest threats, Marquez may have sent Acosta a message at the last race in Aragon, after the two bumped into each other at turn one.
READ MORE: Luigi Dall’Igna saw Marc Marquez do something ‘very smart’ to salvage Aragon MotoGP Sprint win
Marc Marquez’s reaction to being asked how Pedro Acosta would fare on a Ducati MotoGP bike
After failing to finish on the podium so far this season, Acosta has been ‘demanding’ one thing from KTM and wants more help from the factory.
A few days later and he matched his best result of the season with fourth in Aragon, less than eight seconds behind Marquez, who won the race.
Acosta called his best-ever MotoGP race ‘annoying’ because he felt that he had performed well enough to earn better than sixth place.
Now, one of his rivals has had a say on whether he believes that he would be able to compete for victories on a Ducati instead of a KTM.
“Well, I don’t know,” championship leader, Marquez, told Diario AS. “Better than with the KTM? Yes.
“As we already know, he’s incredibly talented, and he’s already proven it in the other categories and today as well. He had an incredible race here, but I couldn’t say what he’d do with a Ducati. He’d definitely be fast.”
READ MORE: Pedro Acosta sends KTM desperate plea for help after ‘suffering’ during the 2025 MotoGP season
What did Francesco Bagnaia say about Pedro Acosta’s chances of winning on a Ducati MotoGP bike?
Marquez wasn’t the only man quizzed about what Acosta may be able to do on his bike, as his Ducati teammate Bagnaia was too.
He seemed a bit more reserved in his answer, having experienced some big struggles in 2025. He knows how well everything has to be in tandem to enjoy success.
“I think he’d be in a position to fight for podiums and be competitive. We all know Pedro’s potential; he’s been super fast in every class, and he’s still that way right now,” said the Italian rider.
“It’s true that he’s struggling right now, but it’s also true that KTM isn’t as competitive as it has been in recent years, so he’d definitely do better with the Ducati than with this bike.”
Acosta ‘highly doubts’ Ducati will drop Bagnaia for his performance in 2025, so this is merely a hypothetical scenario, but could he be tempted by an opening at somewhere like VR46 in the future?
