Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team manager Aki Ajo has confirmed the squad's 2027 MotoGP line-up, with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio set to replace departing duo Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder.
Speaking to Crash.net, Ajo said KTM is "really enthusiastic" about its new factory pairing as the team prepares for the first season of MotoGP's new 850cc regulations.
Acosta is due to leave KTM at the end of the 2026 campaign to join the factory Ducati team, while Binder's future remains undecided, with reports linking the South African with a move to WorldSBK with BMW. Marquez and Di Giannantonio will step into their places at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, completing a line-up overhaul that began when the Austrian manufacturer confirmed its 2027 plans in July.
"We all know that there is a lot of development for everyone happening with the new rules with 850cc bikes - many areas are changing for next year," Ajo said. "Of course, part of this is the rider roulette as well, and I have to say as well that this rider, let's say, 'gamble' was already there since last summer, and of course winter time was also busy for us."
"I would say that we are really enthusiastic and of course also really pleased and happy about our choices," he added.
Both incoming riders are switching from Ducati-powered machinery. Di Giannantonio currently races for the Pertamina Enduro VR46 Racing Team, while Marquez rides a Ducati-based bike for BK8 Gresini Racing. KTM Motorsports Director Pit Beirer described the pair as an all-new line-up, noting that Di Giannantonio - five seasons into his premier-class career and inside the top three of the 2026 standings with three podiums, including a win in Barcelona - has become one of the consistent front-running riders in MotoGP.
Before turning attention fully to 2027, however, Ajo stressed that finishing the current season remains the priority.
"We still have half-a-season to go, so the main focus of course is here on the track and on many areas in the project, of course; it's for that, to really improve and to continue that progress to the end of the year," he said. "So of course in our factory team, especially with Pedro and Brad, but we have strong riders, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini, in the other side as well, so that's the main target."
KTM's early confirmation makes 2027 the earliest rider market resolution in MotoGP history, with the factory set to field its new pairing when the championship launches its 850cc era next season.
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