MotoGP | KTM will field four identical RC16s in 2025

After two seasons with the KTM RC16s painted red and with the name GasGas, the garage of the satellite team of the Mattighofen company will change livery again, this time with the name “Red Bull KTM Tech3” and with orange as the main color, also whether we will still have to wait for the presentation of the new team to know the final design.

This move is not just a question of marketing, as the Austrian manufacturer is committed to fielding four completely identical bikes in 2025, with identical materials and evolutions, a move that was fundamental in attracting top riders, such as the announced Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini.

After two decades with Yamaha, Tech3 owner Hervé Poncharal joined KTM in 2019, becoming a satellite team of the Austrian brand under the name “Red Bull KTM Tech3” and a lineup that included Miguel Oliveira and Malaysian Hafizh Syahrin . In 2020, with the same name, the Portuguese remained in the team, with the entry of Iker Lecuona as teammate, who was then confirmed in 2021, this time with Danilo Petrucci as teammate and with the name “Tech3 KTM Factory Racing”.

That year began, in a certain sense, the drift of KTM, which did not renew the Italian and completely changed the rider lineup for 2022, focusing on Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez, the explosive pair of young talents who had amazed the the previous year in Moto2.

But Mattighofen’s patience with Remy and Raul was short-lived and 2023 saw the return of Pol Espargaro after two years at Honda and the promotion of Augusto Fernandez as Moto2 world champion, this time with a major change of name and the team’s all-red livery, officially renamed “Red Bull GASGAS Tech3”.

After a year to forget, especially due to the serious injury of Pol Espargaró, who missed many races and was replaced by test driver Jonas Folger, in 2024 the arrival of Pedro Acosta, together with Augusto, completely revitalized the team. The Spaniard agreed to debut in MotoGP with Tech3 due to the guarantees received from Mattighofen on a technical level, with a completely factory team of engineers and mechanics and the same material as Brad Binder, an attention which, together with the Spaniard’s absolute talent, makes him has made it the spearhead of the present and future of the brand.

“We are pleased to announce that Enea and Maverick will be with us next year and that we have reconverted to KTM,” said Nicolas Goyon, team manager of the French structure.

“We cannot forget that our first victories in MotoGP were achieved in orange! We cannot hide our pride that these two talented riders have decided to ride our bikes. It is proof that we have followed the right path and that our technology can fight at the top of the championship. We would like to thank Pierer Mobility AG for the quality of its support. Our collaboration has reached the highest level this year and I am sure it will continue to grow in the future his dedication to our project. We have a clear commitment to victory and that is why Enea and Maverick have decided to join the program”, he added.

Attempt to purchase satellite team

KTM has been evaluating the purchase of Hervé Poncharal’s Tech3 structure for several years. The problem, in addition to the cost of the operation, is that the purchase of the team does not guarantee the two places on the MotoGP starting grid, which are owned and assigned by the promoter. Not having the certainty that such an operation could guarantee the two places, KTM has opted this year for a new formula, which consists of completely taking over the management of the team on a technical level.

The four RC16s that KTM will field in 2025 will be completely identical. Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder will race under the official flag of the “Red Bull KTM Factory Racing” team, but both Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini, the new Tech3 riders for the next seasons, will ride the same bike and the team name will change from the red GasGas to orange with the name “Red Bull KTM Tech3”.

On a technical level, all control of the team will be taken over by the factory, while the French part of the structure will focus more on logistics, organization and public relations. This will allow Enea and Maverick to have the same equipment as Acosta and Binder, with the guarantee of receiving the same updates throughout the season, making the “new” Tech3 a practically official team.

Tech3 owner Hervé Poncharal’s contract with KTM expires at the end of 2026, shortly before the new technical regulations come into force in 2027. By then, the Pierer Mobility Group aims to have a second brand on the MotoGP grid and to check a total of six prototypes.