Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 have revealed the 2025 KTM RC16s for the manufacturer’s ninth year in the series and will enter the fray with its strongest line-up to-date.
– KTM are aiming to boost their figures of seven GP wins and two Sprint wins. They will be represented by Italian, Spanish and South African talent in 2025
– Four Red Bull liveried KTMs return to the MotoGP field for the first time since 2020
– Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will boast talent that have secured five world championships and a total of 72 wins across the categories. All four riders have won in Grand Prix
– The KTM GP Academy will continue to develop and help young racers making their way through the ranks from the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup to Moto3™, Moto2™ and to the premier class of MotoGP
Brad Binder (29, from Potchefstroom with 17 wins, 2 in MotoGP) and Pedro Acosta (20, from Murcia with 16 wins) will team-up for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Enea Bastianini (27, from Rimini with 13 wins, 7 in MotoGP) and Maverick Viñales (30, from Roses with 26 wins, 10 in MotoGP) are the charges for Red Bull KTM Tech3 this year and all 22 rounds of the championship that will visit 18 countries.
Binder approaches his sixth campaign in MotoGP and has classified in the top six for the previous four seasons in a row and in the top five for the last two. 2025 will be his sixth as part of the Red Bull KTM crew in MotoGP. The South African will be joined by Pedro Acosta, the youngest rider on the grid, for his second term and after an impressive rookie year in 2024 where he finished 6th in the championship and with five podium results. Like Binder, Acosta has sailed through the Grand Prix ‘pyramid’ in Red Bull colors and through the KTM GP Academy at every step.
Bastianini and Viñales are new recruits for the family but bring a wealth of experience, knowledge and potential into the camp. Bastianini stood on the box nine times (twice from the top step) last season as he finished P4 in the standings. The Italian has grabbed a podium trophy at least once in all four of his years in the MotoGP class so far. Viñales has enormous pedigree and has toasted success in the premier class with three different manufacturers; the last coming at the Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas in 2024. Maverick was 7th best last year, meaning that KTM will assist four racers from the first seven places in the rankings going into the new contest.
Enea Bastianini: “I’m very curious for this season.We have to stay calm at the start because it’s important to understand the bike and the team. But I’m motivated and I think that about the third or fourth race we can be competitive. When I tried the bike I understood all the potential and it’s impressive how you can go on the edge of the corner and how the gearbox is faster, it’s so fast. So, yeah, I’m very impressed.”
Maverick Viñales: “To wear the Red Bull KTM colors feels very good. Since I’ve been a kid I’ve seen them on motocross, on racing… so, it’s a dream team for me. My first thought of the KTM RC16 was: “wow, this is a beast, it’s fast!”. I remember in Montmelo it was very fast, and this is important in the new MotoGP era, as most of the race are the first five-six laps. The first year when you go to a new bike, you need to be always concentrated, always open to new experiences. Every time you go to a new track it’s a completely different experience from the previous years so you have to have an open mentality and be very focused, so my objective is to be focused and to be able to perform at my maximum. The good thing is that as soon as I jump on the KTM it feels like home. It’s a bike that I like, that suits my riding style, entering the corner. So, this is a very important thing.”
Nicolas Goyon, Team Manager: “The wait is finally over, and we are all really excited to launch our 2025 MotoGP season. We are back to Red Bull KTM colours, with two amazing talents, who we are all really thrilled to welcome amongst our ranks. Maverick and Enea are both extremely experienced riders, cumulating between the two of them 17 wins and over 50 podiums in MotoGP, and they will form the strongest line up Tech3 has ever had. We believe they will both be a great fit in our project, and strong assets for the brand. We are thankful to Red Bull KTM for trusting us with two brilliant riders, and we will do everything we can to take the MotoGP project to the next level.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “There have been many questions but we have been clear since the last day of the 2024 season: we are here to race and we are very serious about success in this fantastic championship that spreads motorcycling and motorcycle racing to many corners of the world. 2025 has started strongly for us with the important Dakar victory and also winning in AMA Supercross, now it is a real pleasure to present our MotoGP teams and see our bike ready to race for the ninth year in a row. Competition is such a big part of KTM’s DNA and we are committed. For the coming season and with Brad, Pedro, Enea and Maverick as well as all the experience and knowledge in the pitboxes there is a lot of positivity and adrenaline to get started. This season could be massive for us, and I hope it will be.”
Now onto the IRTA test at the Sepang International Circuit and the path to Buriram and the Thai Grand Prix for the first round of 22 on February 28-March 2.
2025 MotoGP pre-season dates
February 5-7: Malaysia MotoGP IRTA test (Sepang International Circuit)
February 9: 2025 MotoGP Launch (Bangkok)
February 12-13: Thailand MotoGP IRTA test (Buriram International Circuit)
