That is the question everyone in the paddock is asking, and as Motorsport.com Italia reports, Pedro Acosta has finally cleared the air. The Spanish rider addressed claims made by KTM CEO Gottfried Neumeister regarding his upcoming move to Ducati, shutting down the narrative that his decision was fueled by an obsession to defeat Marc Marquez using identical equipment.
Neumeister had previously shared details of a private conversation at the Red Bull Ring during the Austrian GP, explaining how he attempted to retain Acosta with a lucrative contract and a winning machine. According to the KTM executive, Acosta expressed a desire to prove himself against Marc Marquez using equal machinery, rejecting a deal despite financial incentives.
Speaking this Friday in Mandalika after the opening day of the Indonesian GP, Acosta offered a very different perspective on the situation. The rider insisted that no actual negotiations took place with KTM, stating that he simply declined their offer and refused to reconsider after previous friction regarding his contract renewal when he debuted with Tech 3 at the start of 2024.
"The problem is that I never negotiated with KTM," Acosta explained. He added that the choice to commit to Ducati in December of last year was the decision he had pondered least in his entire life, driven strictly by the desire to secure the most competitive bike and team of the past decade alongside his manager Albert Valera.
Crucially, Acosta pushed back against the idea of a personal rivalry driving the switch. "It's not to beat Marc," he stated. Instead, the young Spaniard made it clear that sharing a garage with none other than Marc Marquez is about absorbing knowledge from one of the greatest riders of the era, acknowledging that the long-term benefits of learning from him far outweigh the risks of defeat.
This comes shortly after Acosta secured his maiden MotoGP victory in Austria three weeks ago, marking KTM's first win since 2022. Yet, even with that breakthrough for the Austrian manufacturer, Acosta's path forward is firmly set toward Bologna for 2027.
