KTM opens the 2026 season: expectations, challenges, and the rider lineup conundrum ahead of the major shake-up

KTM Factory and KTM Tech3 officially kick off the 2026 MotoGP season. A year in which they’ll be seeking plenty of answers from their riders.

Pedro Acosta on his way out? Will Brad Binder find himself again? Maverick Viñales, recovering after the issues at the end of 2025, already fiercer than ever thanks to the intense training he’s carrying out alongside Jorge Lorenzo, and who knows if Enea Bastianini will get back on track. These are scenarios and questions KTM will be looking to confirm or answer in 2026, the final year of the current MotoGP era before the big revolution. A joint double presentation, as has become customary, for Red Bull KTM Factory and Red Bull KTM Tech3, the factory and satellite teams of a brand that had more than a few financial difficulties before being saved by Indian giant Bajaj. That’s the past; now a new MotoGP season opens already full-on and, even though it’s only January, with the rider market in full swing...

Pedro Acosta’s goals are crystal clear: “Fight for the front positions.” The Spaniard, after a meteoric rise in the lower classes, struggled more than expected in MotoGP and is still chasing his first win. There’s no shortage of rumors placing him away from KTM at the end of this season... Brad Binder, on the other hand, needs to ‘find himself’ again after a season in which all the brand’s riders were more or less in the spotlight with some interesting results—except him, the veteran. “It was the toughest season,” admitted the South African. “I can’t wait to get going again, I hope we can get back to the performances I’m capable of.”

There’s a major change at the top this year: Hervé Poncharal, founder of Tech3 Racing along with Guy Coulon, has officially handed the team over to former F1 figure Guenther Steiner, ushering in a new chapter for the historic French squad, a protagonist in every World Championship class. The MotoGP team lineup, however, remains unchanged for 2026: after a ‘learning’ year for the former Aprilia and the former Ducati men, Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini are even more fired up and determined to shine on the RC16.

“I needed to understand many things in a very short period of time, but after two races I started to understand the bike, how it works, so I was able to be competitive very quickly,” Viñales commented. Unfortunately for him, there was the crash at the Sachsenring, with a shoulder injury that affected the rest of 2025. But he’s recovering and ready for the 2026 challenge; the intense training with Lorenzo is clear proof. “I feel a great responsibility to make this project a winning one,” he emphasized. “When I have this kind of pressure, when I have this kind of responsibility, I’m at my best. I’m ready to ‘eat’!”

It wasn’t an easy year for Enea Bastianini either, but for different reasons: a tricky start with the RC16, and just when he seemed to have found the right setup, with a podium to prove it, came the early departure of his crew chief Alberto Giribuola (now with Toprak Razgatlioglu). A change that affected him, as he has admitted several times. “2026 will be different because I’ll know the bike and the team better. I think I’ll be much stronger,” said ‘Bestia’. “I can’t wait to get back on track; I want to fight again for something important. This year I think the factory will be very strong: I saw a lot of potential, especially during last year’s Valencia test. I think we’re ready to fight.”