First the factory agreement with MotoGP had to be closed, and then the renewals and signings would begin to arrive. That was part of the pressure from the MSMA and it has been fulfilled, because since the agreement was reached and announced in Brno, we are learning about renewals and signings, one after another.
Marc Márquez, Pedro Acosta, Pecco Bagnaia, Jorge Martín, Ai Ogura, Joan Mir, Dani Olgado… and that added to the end-of-cycle announcements such as Rins or Quartararo for which, at least officially, there is no closed future. Now it is KTM’s turn, which we already knew was going to lose Pedro Acosta and which has finally decided to completely change the structure.
There will be two Ducati riders who join the orange team and, in addition, two of the brand’s competitive riders in the last two years. The first to be announced, with a difference of hours, was Álex Márquez. It was an open secret that Álex would leave Gresini, something that the Italian team also announced before the signing was made official, to go to KTM.
In this way, the Spanish rider will become part of a factory team for the second time in his MotoGP career after competing with HRC in the 2020 season when he debuted. It will also be, after his time precisely at Honda and Ducati, the third brand with which he competes in races in the premier category where, in 2025, he was runner-up.
Di Giannantonio leaves the VR46 umbrella and seeks his future with KTM
Meanwhile, next to him in his box he will have another “ex-Ducati” like Fabio Di Giannantonio. The Italian, who is currently the best driver of the Italian brand in the provisional championship standings, will leave the VR46 to make the jump to a factory structure for the first time in his racing career. If Álex Márquez’s record includes two world titles and 16 GP victories, 4 of them in MotoGP, Di Giannantonio’s is more discreet with 5 victories, two of them in MotoGP where, to date, he has achieved a total of 9 podiums in five seasons compared to Álex’s 18 in 7.
Therefore, a pair of drivers that in the imagination may seem quite equal, but in which if we look at the numbers they clearly opt for the Spanish, at least to date.
With the officialization of these two signings, as we said at the beginning, the available places are becoming less and less and, in relation to official teams, only Honda remains to confirm its riders because Aprilia, Ducati, Yamaha and now KTM have already done so.
As is usual in these cases, there are only official statements from KTM, specifically it has been Pit Beirer who has given his point of view on his two riders for 2027: «We are enormously proud and happy to have secured for our project an exceptional talent like Alex Márquez, runner-up of the World Championship in 2025. Alex brings not only extraordinary talent and great racing intelligence, but also determination and a winning mentality that fit perfectly with our DNA. “We share a very clear objective: to take the KTM RC16 to the next level and fight for the leading positions in MotoGP.”
About Di Giannantonio, Beirer stated: «Fabio has taken a step forward to become one of the most consistent riders in the fight for leading positions in MotoGP. We have no doubt about its speed or its commitment to delivering maximum performance. He is a great teammate and an excellent person, and we know that he will fit perfectly into our Red Bull KTM Factory Racing project. During our conversations we were impressed by the passion with which he always tries his best, both on and off the court, and we believe that our next chapter together will be exciting and unforgettable. Welcome, Fabio.
