Acosta? Guevara? KTM ‘cannot say what the future will bring’

Acosta made history by winning the Moto3 title as a rookie in 2021, then claimed three victories in Moto2 last year, again riding for the Red Bull KTM Ajo team.

Guevara took over from Acosta as Moto3 champion and is sticking with GASGAS Aspar as he moves to Moto2 this year.

Acosta has said he turned down a MotoGP offer for 2023, while Ducati Corse general manager Gigi Dall’Igna and Jorge Lorenzo’s father Chicho are among those to have highlighted Guevara’s MotoGP potential.

With both 18-year-olds currently competing for ‘KTM’ teams, the Austrian factory would seem in pole position for their future MotoGP services - providing it has room for the pair.

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‘If the next generation develops quickly, we might get a problem’

“I don’t want to say right now but let’s hope in the future it is a luxury problem to have maybe two good rider lining up [to move to MotoGP]. But I feel that we are not in a position to talk spoiled like that,” said KTM motorsports director Pit Beirer.

“Now we have four riders in MotoGP and we need to succeed [with them]. We want to make another step with Brad [Binder[ and we are sure Jack [Miller] will make us better, [then] to have Pol [Espargaro] back and now bring Augusto [Fernandez] up.

“At the moment I feel the package is very strong with these four riders but, yeah, if the next generation is developing very quick then we might get a problem very soon.

“We cannot foresee that. First we have to get the results with the riders we have and then tomorrow is tomorrow. We cannot say what the future will bring, but that’s why we do development with young riders [so] that they are coming up.

“At one moment the older riders will stop or leave, it’s normal. Let’s face that positive problem once it’s there.”

KTM and Ducati have led the MotoGP field in offering rookies a premier-class chance in recent years.

KTM has a bigger commitment to the smaller classes (Red Bull Rookies onwards) than any other MotoGP manufacturer, helping it provide premier-class debuts for Iker Lecuona, Miguel Oliveira, Brad Binder, Raul Fernandez, Remy Gardner and now Augusto Fernandez.

However, Ducati has used its eight MotoGP seats and the lure of competitive satellite machinery to offer debuts to the likes of newly crowned champion Francesco Bagnaia plus Jorge Martin, Luca Marini, Enea Bastianini, Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio over the same period (2017 onwards).

Guevara’s Aspar team manager, Gino Borsoi, has also been hired as Pramac Ducati’s MotoGP team manager…