Marquez retirement talk grows after bold Acosta warning

The KTM talent will be swapping to Ducati next year after another season of thrilling fans with his free-form racing style.

Acosta is yet to win a MotoGP race, but his talent is abundantly clear, particularly to his new team, who are bringing him in to replace their most successful ever rider, Francesco Bagnaia.

Bagnaia arguably wilted under the pressure of having Marquez as his teammate, but Acosta doesn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

In fact, he even gave a warning of sorts to his nine-time champion compatriot.

“I have no idea what I’m going to find in that garage, but I don’t feel any pressure,” he told motorsport.com. “Marc is in the final stretch of his career, and I’m just starting mine.

Like Marquez, Acosta is a Moto3 and Moto2 champion, but so far in MotoGP, his best result is second on seven occasions.

Yet there was no shock at all from anyone involved in the sport that Ducati decided to go all out to sign him for the 2027 and 2028 seasons.

In fact, the idea that he could end up replacing Marquez entirely isn’t anything new.

Summing up the mood, renowned MotoGP journalist Ricard Jove told MotoSan: "I've always maintained that I will never speak, or I will try not to speak, about Marc when he should or shouldn't retire because, frankly, it's his decision, not mine.