Pedro Acosta looks at Ducati: “You can’t have two No1s”

Pedro Acosta has delivered a blunt assessment of Ducati’s impressive factory rider line-up.

Marc Marquez’s arrival into the garage which already had Pecco Bagnaia means the dominant MotoGP manufacturer have a duo to boast about.

But, KTM’s Acosta is not convinced by the dynamic.

Acosta was asked if Marquez and Bagnaia are the 2025 MotoGP title favourites but provided a perhaps unexpected answer.

“We shouldn't put the crown on the king just yet, a season is long,” he told Speedweek.

“Many also talk about them being a dream team.

“But in life there is no dream team, you can't have two No1s in the same box.”

Pedro Acosta denies Ducati 'dream team' tag

Ducati moved away from their philosophy of promoting internal talent to bring Marquez into their red team, but have been justified by his results.

Marquez won the first five races of the season before falling out of the lead in the Americas MotoGP.

Bagnaia took his first win at COTA but that meant that neither of the factory Ducati stars went home from Texas as the championship leader.

Gresini’s Alex Marquez, after a great run of P2 finishes, tops the standings heading into this weekend’s Qatar MotoGP.

Perhaps that was Acosta’s point - that two star riders vying for supremacy could chip away at each other’s point tallies.

The dynamic at KTM, for Acosta, is similar.

He entered a garage when Brad Binder was established, and had grown with the manufacturer.

But the KTM is desperately lacking the competitiveness of the Ducati so Acosta and Binder face different problems.

Acosta’s wise words about two No1 riders inside the same box might not negatively impact KTM who will be eager for progress regardless of where it comes from.

But it may continue to impact the MotoGP title battle, as Bagnaia and Marquez scrap for the same prize from within the same box.

Qatar is widely expected to be a circuit which favours Bagnaia, and the pendulum has swung in his direction after he took advantage of Marquez’s fall to win at COTA.

But COTA was supposed to suit Marquez until he crashed, so Bagnaia will now face the added pressure of converting favourable conditions into a result.

How Ducati continue to manage the ambition of their two star men will be key to answering Acosta’s bold claim.