Pedro Acosta says his decision to leave KTM was driven by one goal: winning the MotoGP world championship.
The Spaniard, who has been part of KTM's programme since 2020, confirmed he could no longer afford to wait for the Austrian manufacturer to produce a bike capable of consistently fighting for victories.
"To be honest, I have no more time to lose," said Acosta.
The 22-year-old has enjoyed a remarkable rise with KTM. After winning the Red Bull Rookies Cup, Moto3 and Moto2 world titles, he stepped up to MotoGP and quickly established himself as one of the sport's brightest talents. He finished fourth in the championship in his latest season after earning a promotion to the factory team.
Despite KTM's progress, Acosta believes the RC16 still falls short of the Ducati GP26 and Aprilia RS-GP in overall performance, particularly when it comes to outright pace and winning races consistently.
For Acosta, competing for podiums is no longer enough. His focus is firmly on fighting for world titles.
Source: Paddock GP
KTM have not won a full-length MotoGP race since Miguel Oliveira's victory at the rain-affected Thai Grand Prix in 2022, while Ducati have claimed the riders' championship in each of the last four seasons to establish themselves as the benchmark on the grid.
Acosta's departure is a significant setback for KTM, with motorsport director Pit Beirer admitting the team had hoped to build its future around the Spaniard.
"We had to swallow that Pedro wants to leave us because he's been so long with us," said Beirer.
"We were just building the project together with him as a rider."
Acosta was KTM's standout performer, scoring twice as many championship points as teammate Brad Binder in his most recent campaign.
Still, Beirer remains optimistic about the future after KTM reshaped its rider line-up by signing Alex Marquez and two-time MotoGP race winner Fabio Di Giannantonio.
Acosta believes his former team has assembled a competitive pairing.
"They take this world champion, Alex, and a guy that now is the number two of Ducati at the moment. They have good cards to play next year," he said.
Acosta will begin a new chapter with Ducati in 2027, partnering eight-time world champion Marc Marquez as MotoGP enters its new 850cc era. The move gives the young Spaniard the opportunity to compete on the bike widely regarded as the benchmark, as he sets his sights on becoming a world champion.
