KTM faced a difficult round at the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, with its highest-placed rider finishing only 11th, marking the first time in 2025 that none of its riders reached the top 10 in a Sunday race. This setback significantly undermined KTM’s ambitions of surpassing Aprilia for second place in the constructors’ championship during the current MotoGP season.
The poor result was mainly influenced by Pedro Acosta, KTM’s lead rider, who ran off track and dropped near the back of the field. However, Acosta’s decline had begun several laps earlier despite initially challenging Francesco Bagnaia for the race lead. After a strong start, the Spaniard began losing time and positions throughout the race, slipping behind factory Ducati riders Marc Marquez and others.
Pedro Acosta’s Struggles with Pace and Tyres
Acosta initially kept pace, running second until the start of lap 11, before a marked drop to sixth place due to tyre performance issues. Over the following laps, he lost several positions to riders including Marquez, Joan Mir, Marco Bezzecchi, and Franco Morbidelli. His lap times slowed drastically to mid-to-high 1m46 seconds, and at one point, he recorded laps slower than Somkiat Chantra on the LCR Honda.
The critical moment came on lap 19 when Acosta went wide at Turn 1 due to rider error rather than a mechanical fault, further damaging KTM’s prospects. He eventually finished down in 17th place, outside the points.
Acosta Reflects on the Team’s Performance Issues
After the race, Acosta expressed uncertainty about the root causes of KTM’s difficulties in Motegi but suggested that the unusually high temperatures might have exacerbated tyre problems, echoing issues faced at the season-opening Thailand race.
“We have to evaluate the data with the team and understand what is going on, because it looks like the four KTMs were struggling in the same way,”
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“Also, it’s [like] the problem that we were having in Thailand at the beginning of the season. For this [reason], it’s time to evaluate what is going on with the team. Let’s see if we can improve a bit at the factory.
“We were coming from a really good European season that was not super hot, and here the tyre gets that high temperature. It was also a softer tyre compared to the tyre that we normally use.
“It’s hard for everyone, but also we have to take positives. I was fast in qualifying, I was fast in time attacks on Friday, I was fast yesterday in the sprint [with] less laps, I was not that bad, but I was finishing more or less in the same way.
“But today, we went into a hole [from where it] was impossible to get out of.”
KTM’s Qualifying and Sprint Challenges
Throughout the weekend, Acosta’s performance stood out amid KTM’s overall struggles. He secured fourth on the grid in qualifying, despite limited runs due to technical problems. In stark contrast, the next best KTM rider, Brad Binder, qualified 18th, while Tech3 teammates Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales lagged far behind in 21st and last place, respectively.
The sprint race reflected a similar pattern. Acosta was the only KTM rider to earn points with a strong third-place finish behind Ducati’s Bagnaia and Marquez. Binder came 12th, Vinales 16th, and Bastianini retired due to engine issues.
Binder Faces Persistent Chatter Problems Affecting Race Pace
Binder endured a challenging Sunday, compromised by intense front-end chatter, a problem that has frequently troubled KTM’s RC16 bike over the years. The vibrations became unbearable from about lap 12, especially in left-hand corners, forcefully hindering his ability to maintain competitive speed and finish strongly.
“I got a really good start and I was struggling with chatter from the beginning,”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
“And when I got to about lap 12, it exploded. It started going crazy and at every single left-hand corner, I had massive vibrations until I lifted the bike up straight. So it was super, super difficult. The biggest thing today was we had to try and get the centre of the tyre to the end of the race. And even managing it like hell, we finished the thing [tyre]. We’ve got some serious work to do.”
2025 Progress and Recent Setbacks
KTM began the season with promise, scoring its first podium of 2025 at the Czech Grand Prix in July. After the summer break, an upgraded aerodynamic package helped the Austrian team secure three additional podium finishes in subsequent rounds. This progress narrowed the gap, placing KTM just two points behind Aprilia in the battle for second in the constructors’ championship.
However, troubles at Misano involving repeated chain failures and the poor showing in Japan caused KTM to fall back, now trailing Aprilia by 26 points heading into the closing phase of the season.
Rider Frustrations Deepen over Lack of Competitiveness
The disappointing pace and results in Japan confounded KTM riders, especially given previous strong performances at Motegi. In the prior year, Acosta had taken an impressive pole position on Tech3’s GasGas-branded RC16 at the same circuit.
“What I feel is that now there is a lot of work to do again on the bike because the feeling is not there and the way that the bike is working is not correct,”
Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
“The tyres are not working well. I think we were not pushing the tyres in the correct way, that’s why we were not able to be fast in Japan.
“On paper, this should be a track where the KTM has to be very fast, and it’s been one of the slowest races we did. There is a lot of work to do.”
Enea Bastianini, who earned his first KTM podium in early September, expressed his confusion about the sudden decline in form that began after Misano and continued through Motegi.
“I can’t understand what has happened to me from Misano because in the last three, four races, I was competitive in every condition, at every track.
“But from Misano the trend is backwards a bit now. Here, [in Japan, it] has been very very complicated for us, like if the engine wasn’t like at the start of the season and like if we missed the first part of the acceleration.
“After we lose the speed but, in any case I hope to see KTM like [it was] three, four races ago, competitive. I want to be back in the top five like some races ago.”
Outlook for KTM as the Season Progresses
KTM’s performance at Motegi spotlighted the deep challenges the team faces as it seeks to close the gap with Aprilia. With tyre management struggles, bike handling issues, and mechanical setbacks, KTM must address significant technical and setup problems rapidly to stay in contention for the constructors’ championship. How effectively KTM’s factory engineers and riders respond during the remaining races will critically shape their 2025 MotoGP campaign.
