Marc Marquez believes Pedro Acosta has firmly entered the 2026 MotoGP title fight following his maiden premier-class victory at last weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Factory KTM rider Acosta ended his long wait for a first premier class win with a dominant performance from third on the grid, becoming the first rider to defeat Aprilia and Ducati in a Sunday race this year.
With his breakthrough result, the 22-year-old moved up to fourth place in the standings, although he remains 72 points behind championship leader Jorge Martin with seven races remaining.
Since the summer break ended, Martin, Marquez and Marco Bezzecchi had begun to pull away from the rest of the field, suggesting that the title fight would boil down to the trio.
But with Acosta now proving he can win races on a bike that is no longer down on power, Marquez believes his 2027 team-mate is ready to contend for the title.
“The top four guys are ready to fight for the championship,” the Ducati star said. “Since KTM opened the engines after Silverstone and again have good power, they are here ready to fight for the championship.”
Marquez believes Acosta could make it two wins in a row at next month’s Japanese Grand Prix, pointing to the promising pace he showed on his previous two visits to Motegi in the premier class.
Acosta scored his maiden pole in Japan during his rookie season, although he famously blew up his chances in both races, saying at that time he would prefer to crash than concede first position to a Ducati.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“After this GP, Pedro is again the favourite for Motegi,” said Marquez. “Every year, he has been very, very fast there.
“Already he was very fast his first year. He crashed leading the sprint race, and then in the main race, he crashed fighting for second and for the victory. Last year also, he was very fast.
“It will be tight between the top four guys in the last seven races.”
Martin on Acosta’s chances
Championship leader Martin also believes Acosta can become a genuine championship rival, provided he can maintain his form in the upcoming flyaway races in Asia.
Asked about his own title prospects, the Aprilia rider said: “I think leadership comes and goes; I don’t really think about it.
“It’s a big fight. If Pedro continues winning like this weekend with this dominance, I think even he is in the fight, so it will be an interesting Asian tour for sure.
“We will try to match the speed I had here because if I have the speed, I will fight. But for sure there are races where I struggle and we are a bit in the back. This is part of the game, but I feel strong and I feel we can have a good level the rest of the season.”
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