Acosta Needs Patience, Stoner Says Before Ducati Title Push
NXTbets Pro | Published On: August 5, 2026
Stoner backs Acosta
Casey Stoner sees Pedro Acosta as a future Ducati threat, but he wants the Spaniard to slow down and learn before he reaches that level. Stoner backed the move that has Ducati lined up for Acosta in 2027 and said he could not argue with a pairing of Acosta and Marc Marquez. He also said Acosta needs more patience in wheel-to-wheel battles if he wants to unlock his full talent and become a champion. Stoner’s view is clear on what comes next. Acosta will show more once he rides a proven Ducati instead of a KTM machine, and that switch should reveal his true level. Stoner described Marquez as incredibly reliable and consistent, which gives Ducati a benchmark at the top of the garage and a standard for anyone who joins him. For Stoner, the message around Acosta is simple. The speed is there. The next step is control, racecraft and the discipline to make that speed count when the fight gets tight.
Bagnaia gets support
Stoner also defended Francesco Bagnaia after a rough stretch with Ducati and said the rider got the short straw during his difficult spell. He stood behind Bagnaia’s complaints that the GP25 was not the same as the previous bike and said, from the outside, it was evident the bike was not the same. That view matters because Bagnaia’s recent run has been a sharp contrast to the form that made him one of Ducati’s key figures. He was a title contender before slipping back into occasional also-ran status in 2025, even though he still won two Grand Prix races and collected several podium finishes. Bagnaia’s record with Ducati still carries weight. He won the team’s first riders’ title since Stoner’s 2007 championship and defended it in 2023. That background shaped Stoner’s support. He did not frame Bagnaia’s decline as a loss of talent. He framed it as a rider caught in a poor fit with his machinery, one that made the fight harder than it needed to be and left him trying to solve problems he should not have had to carry.
Aprilia reset for Bagnaia
Stoner expects Bagnaia’s next move to give him a fresh start. Bagnaia is set to join Aprilia alongside Marco Bezzecchi, and Stoner said he hopes the change gives him renewed motivation and a new family around him. He also said Bagnaia could return to his confident form with Aprilia, a belief that reflects how strongly Stoner ties performance to environment in modern MotoGP. The switch gives Bagnaia a chance to reset after a period in which the Ducati garage changed around him and Marquez took full command at the front. Marquez clinched the championship with five races remaining, a clean finish to a season that underlined the consistency Stoner praised. That run, combined with Bagnaia’s struggles on the GP25, leaves Ducati heading into a new phase with a reshaped lineup plan and a clear hierarchy of expectations. Stoner sees no issue with Ducati’s direction. He backed the idea of Acosta arriving alongside Marquez and separately supported Bagnaia’s move away from the pressure of the Ducati project. In Stoner’s view, both paths can work. Acosta can grow into Ducati’s future. Bagnaia can rediscover his old confidence at Aprilia.
