Casey Stoner backs Ducati’s decision to recruit Pedro Acosta but says the Spanish star can improve in one key area
Casey Stoner says Ducati’s blockbuster 2027 factory pairing of Marc Marquez and Pedro Acosta is hard to fault on paper, while insisting Pecco Bagnaia was unfairly judged during his recent struggles and could yet thrive in a new environment at Aprilia.
With Ducati set to field Marquez and Acosta in what shapes as one of the most formidable line-ups on the MotoGP grid, Stoner believes the Bologna factory has combined proven performance with future potential.
“You can’t argue with the line-up,” Stoner told MotoGP.com.
On Marquez, Stoner was full of admiration for the Spaniard’s resilience and relentless competitiveness.
“Marc is incredibly dependable. You know what he’s going to be able to produce. He’s an incredible talent and it doesn’t seem to matter what injury he has, he always just keeps fighting through, finding a way to get results.”
Acosta, meanwhile, has already shown enough to convince Stoner that he has the talent to become a major force, although the Australian great believes the young Spaniard still has an area to refine.
“Pedro, we’ve seen the talent for sure,” Stoner said. “I think I would like to see a little bit more patience because I feel that there are certain riders on the grid he doesn’t like to see in front, so he will do anything to be in front of them.
“And if you’re going to win championships, this doesn’t really work. You really need to know some days you’re not going to win and you need to accept that and accept some of these results.”
For Stoner, that patience will be crucial if Acosta is to turn his obvious speed into title-winning consistency.
“So I think Pedro sometimes can be maybe a little bit more patient, then we can see the talent come out a lot more. And when the time comes, he will for sure be a big threat, especially on a bike now that is proven.”
Stoner also suggested Acosta’s current machinery has made it difficult to properly judge where his ultimate level sits.
“The KTM is really difficult to know where the level is. And then once we see Pedro on the Ducati, we’ll know a lot more.”
While much attention has centred on Ducati’s future, Stoner also addressed Bagnaia’s decline after coming so close to the 2024 title, and he made clear he believes the Italian has been misunderstood.
Stoner also expressed sympathy for Bagnaia, who is set to move to the factory Aprilia squad next season when MotoGP enters a new era with 850cc bikes.
“I’m very sorry for Pecco because for sure in the last period he struggled a little bit. So everybody lost faith in Pecco because they were saying he’s just complaining, you know, it’s the same bike, blah, blah, blah. But I could see from the outside that the bike was not the same.”
Stoner said Bagnaia’s riding style made the change in behaviour particularly noticeable.
“This is a really smooth rider, really smooth guy on all these elements. And I was watching the bike do things that it shouldn’t be doing.”
Given Bagnaia’s achievements with Ducati, Stoner believes the Italian deserved more trust and support.
“Considering Pecco is the one that really gave them their first championship since mine, back to back and then was second on either side of that, was the only Ducati rider really at the front, he got the short straw for sure.”
Now, with a switch to Aprilia on the horizon and a major rules reset coming with it, Stoner is hopeful Bagnaia can rediscover the form and confidence that made him a champion.
“I’m also excited to see what can happen for him, to find some new motivation, hopefully a new family in Aprilia and get back to his ways and where he was confident.”
