Pedro Acosta sends warning to Marquez brothers and Aprilia: 'big difference compared to last year'

Acosta, who is undoubtedly one of the grid's most promising future superstars, had a solid weekend at the Buriram test in Thailand, consistently lapping in the top five and ensuring that he will be at the front-end of the field in time for the season opener.

The Murcian is still chasing his first win in the premier class despite amassing an impressive ten podium finishes across his first two seasons.

"The tests haven't gone badly. I'm quite happy with the time trial I did this morning and with the position I was in: I was among the top five , which is usually our goal. I'm not far from the leaders. In the afternoon I worked on the race simulation, which went quite well," Acosta told Spanish outlet MotoSan.

"It's true that the Aprilia and Ducati bikes look impressive, but I'm quite happy because we made it to lap 24-25 without using up the tires. There's a big difference compared to last year, and that's why I'm happy."

Pedro's optimism comes following a whirlwind of rumours throughout the winter break that he has signed with the Ducati factory team for 2027 onwards.

However, for this year at least, Acosta's first goal will be to achieve a race win with KTM, and it seems that he is more optimistic than ever about achieving this goal.

Tyre wear was a significant issue for KTM last year, who often boasted impressive straight-line speed but rarely had the robust tyre wear in place to sustain good pace for even a full sprint distance.

Last year, Acosta finished as the highest-placed KTM across both the factory and Tech3 satellite teams, finishing fourth in the overall standings ahead of former world champion Pecco Bagnaia.