Pedro Acosta believes Marc Marquez’s current form and the composition of the calendar make him the best-placed rider to clinch the 2026 MotoGP title.
Heading into this weekend’s San Marino Grand Prix, factory Ducati rider Marquez sits second in the riders’ standings, just 19 points behind championship leader and Aprilia rival Jorge Martin.
Although the reigning world champion’s form has not been immune to major fluctuations, he has now won four out of the last six grands prix to slash a deficit that once stood at more than 100 points.
After Marquez completed another double at Aragon last time out, Acosta said the Ducati rider should now be considered the favourite for the title, with the remaining calendar largely playing to his strengths.
“The thing is, Marc has made up so many points that he’s already building a lot of momentum this year,” said Acosta, who will become Marquez’s team-mate at Ducati next year.
“He has circuits coming up that suit him very well. Apart from Indonesia, I don’t think there’s a single one where he hasn’t won. Of all the remaining races, that one and Portimao could go badly for him; I don’t think he’s ever finished there.
“And even if they don’t remove Qatar from the calendar, he’s building a lot of momentum, and on his off days, he still picks up points everywhere.”
While Marquez has learned to play the long game after over a decade at the pinnacle of motorcycle racing, Acosta said his countryman can still be aggressive when needed, citing his opening-lap pass on Bezzecchi for victory in the Aragon sprint.
“The moment Marc has to push, he’ll do it, just like he did at the first corner in Aragon,” he said. “So, I see this going to be a tight race right up to the very end, but Marc is the one with the most experience. He should win this world championship.”
As a result, the 22-year-old could yet take points off the championship contenders as he continues to chase his maiden MotoGP victory.
Acosta identified two circuits where he expects KTM to be particularly competitive during the closing stages of the season.
“Normally in Japan, we are quite fast,” he said “If you take Asia overall, we are quite competitive at every track, taking out Phillip Island, where I normally struggle.
“But at the end, we have to try to find consistency in mechanical things, and then try to bring performance.
“At the moment, I'm happy because we are much more consistent in reliability, and we are not having any issues. So the first thing is done, now it's time to try to bring some performance.”
