Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio have signed for the factory KTM squad in MotoGP from the 2027 season.
As the string of MotoGP rider announcements continues following the Concorde Agreement being reached, the first to be confirmed was Marquez, with the 2025 MotoGP world championship runner-up joining the Austrian manufacturer from next season.
It ends his four-year stint at Gresini which so far has resulted in four wins for the Spaniard and revitalised his MotoGP career which looked to have stalled after three years in the Honda fold.
After KTM lost star rider Pedro Acosta to Ducati for 2027, it has moved to sign Marquez in his place, with the team highlighting his “attributes” that it aims to use to help develop next year’s KTM machine at the start of the 850cc era.
Pit Beirer, KTM motorsports director, said: “We are extremely proud and happy to have secured an exceptional talent like Alex Marquez — the 2025 world championship runner-up — for our project.
“Alex brings not only outstanding skill and race intelligence but also determination and a winning mindset that perfectly matches our DNA. Together we share a clear objective: to take the KTM RC16 to the next level and fight at the very front of MotoGP.”
Currently working his way back from a string of injuries that have hampered him in recent months, Marquez will begin his eighth premier-class campaign in 2027, having raced for three different manufacturers over the course of his MotoGP career: Honda, Ducati and now KTM.
Later on Monday KTM also revealed Di Giannantonio as its second factory rider from 2027. The Italian will likewise swap a Ducati Desmosedici – currently raced with the VR46 team – for the Austrian manufacturer's RC16 from next season.
“Fabio has clearly made a step to become one of the consistent front-running guys in MotoGP,” Beirer added. “We cannot question his speed and commitment to delivering the best performance.
“He is a strong team player and a good guy, that we know will fit easily into our Red Bull KTM Factory Racing project. During our talks we were impressed by how passionate he is to give the maximum on track and off it, and we believe the next chapter together will be exciting and memorable. Welcome Fabio.”
The pairing sees the two riders reunite having been team-mates at Gresini in 2023.
While KTM is already planning for the future, it must first address pressing issues in the present.
After overcoming the financial crisis that rocked the company last year, thanks to a rescue backed by Bajaj, the Austrian manufacturer's racing department is now focused on solving a recurring technical problem that has caused its MotoGP prototypes to shut down unexpectedly.
The issue has been traced to excessive vibrations triggering the electronic control unit into emergency mode, cutting the bike's power supply. Although engineers have identified the cause, they have yet to find a solution to prevent failures that can have serious safety consequences, as highlighted during the Catalan Grand Prix, when Acosta's RC16 suddenly lost power while accelerating, leaving Marquez with no chance to avoid colliding with the Spaniard.
