KTM has unveiled its 2026 MotoGP liveries and confirmed Red Bull title backing for both its factory team and Tech3 satellite outfit, while keeping the factory pairing of Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder and retaining Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini at Tech3.

Tech3 is under new ownership led by Guenther Steiner, with Richard Coleman appointed team boss. KTM also detailed key crew moves for 2026: Enea Bastianini will work with Andrés Madrid, Phil Marron will move into Brad Binder’s garage, and former Bastianini crew chief Alberto Giribuola has moved to Pramac.

The announcement followed a financially destabilising winter for KTM’s 2025 programme, which influenced personnel decisions and the early confirmations of lineups.

Looking back at 2025, KTM finished third in the Constructors’ standings and its factory entry was fourth in the Teams’ standings, becoming the highest-ranked non‑Ducati-powered team after overtaking Aprilia. Pedro Acosta emerged as the squad’s on-track leader, adopted setup elements from Maverick Viñales, took KTM’s first official podium of the year at Brno and closed the year fourth in the world championship; he described the season as “a wasted year” despite personal progress. Brad Binder finished 11th overall without a podium. Tech3 endured a turbulent season: Viñales had a strong result in Qatar later removed for a tyre-pressure infringement and missed time with a serious shoulder injury at Sachsenring; Enea Bastianini scored a Grand Prix and Sprint podium midseason but faded after losing Giribuola, and substitute Pol Espargaró provided stability with four top-10s in five starts.

Contract positions and longer-term planning remain unresolved: media reports say all four riders are out of contract at the end of the season, and Acosta has been linked with a potential move to a Ducati-run team. Coverage described KTM as weighing roster choices while preparing for the 2027 regulations and surveying the wider MotoGP market for options rather than relying on an obvious in-house successor; some outlets named long-shot possibilities such as Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo but presented those as unlikely. KTM’s next strategic moves into 2026 and in preparation for 2027 remain to be confirmed.

Sources