Ducati followed up its official farewell to Pecco Bagnaia by formally announcing that Pedro Acosta will be Marc Marquez's 2027 and 2028 MotoGP team-mate.

The move sets up a superteam pairing of a 33-year-old seven-time MotoGP champion and a 22-year-old tipped as the most realistic challenger to his long-term supremacy.

Though Acosta has yet to win a grand prix, he has comprehensively overshadowed his more experienced stablemates at current squad KTM since arriving on the grid in 2024 having already notched up Rookies Cup, Moto3 and Moto2 titles.

Marquez committed to a two-year Ducati extension earlier this year, in another deal announced this week, but there had been uncertainty over how long he envisaged his MotoGP future being - especially in light of the injuries that have dogged him during this decade.

Ducati's phrasing in its announcement of Acosta did little to hide its new recruit's positioning as Marquez's successor.

"Pedro represents the ideal candidate for the future of the team," said Ducati MotoGP general manager Gigi Dall'Igna.

"After Marc's confirmation, we wanted to add a young and fast rider to the Desmosedici GP development project.

"Pedro, in addition to being an undisputed talent, has demonstrated extraordinary precocity.

"In just under six years, he has won two titles in the lower classes and achieved truly convincing performances in MotoGP.

"His arrival in the team will be a stimulus for everyone; he will help us grow, and we will support him on the path to full maturity as a rider."

With his seat lost to Acosta, double champion Bagnaia is poised to be announced as Marco Bezzecchi's 2027 Aprilia team-mate as part of the series of domino moves that will also involve Jorge Martin leaving Aprilia for Yamaha to fill the gap left by Fabio Quartararo heading for Honda.

Acosta's current team KTM is understood to have committed to Fabio Di Giannantonio and Alex Marquez as its new works line-up, with its present second rider Brad Binder's MotoGP future uncertain.