No ‘team captain’ at KTM in MotoGP 2025, “it’s up to the boys”

Brad Binder, a five-year Red Bull KTM rider, will be joined by current MotoGP rookie Pedro Acosta at the in-house Austrian team next season, when Tech3 fields an all-new line-up of multiple race winners Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini.

But, according to KTM motorsports director Pit Beirer, no rider or team will have automatic number one status. And, if new development parts are limited, they will be distributed according to championship position.

“We spoke to all four boys about how we’re going work in the future,” Beirer said. “We really try to combine each rider with the people around them and then supply four identical machines to start the season.

“It’s not the plan to bring a new part to the track for only one rider to try, but you might have a moment when you make something new, it’s better, but you can only make [enough] for one rider.

“Then the best rider in the points standing will get it.

“The team captain will be the number one rider in the points standings from our group,” Beirer confirmed. “Then the number two and the number three...

“It’s not like the classic [MotoGP team situation] where one garage is the factory and the other is the satellite team. And the factory will get [new parts] first and the satellite second.

“It’s up to the boys to get material.”

KTM has proven those are not just hollow words by giving Acosta, currently in GASGAS colours at Tech3, the very latest parts to reflect his top KTM status in the world championship standings.

Beirer believes that policy, combined with the young Spaniard’s impressive achievements this season, acted as an advertisement to attract the likes of Vinales and Bastianini to Tech3/KTM,

“Through Pedro, we had a great chance this year to prove this [full support for Tech3 riders] concept. That also helped these riders to come,” Beirer said.

“It’s racing, so the strongest will be the captain.”

All four RC16 riders will also look visually similar next season, with Tech3 joining the official team in running Red Bull KTM branding after two seasons as 'GASGAS'.

The acquisition of Vinales, a ten-time race winner for Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia, and Bastianini, a five-time Ducati race winner, also means:

“Looking at the points standings now, numbers 4 [Bastianini], 5 [Acosta], 6 [Vinales] and 7 [Binder] are with us [next year].

“The target is clearly visible. It's the other three [places] in front of us.”

“But I believe this package will be very, very strong - also thinking about Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro, who are working on the bike, preparing the bike and two fantastic guys to talk directly to the riders.

“There’s never a guarantee, but I feel [the 2025 line-up] will help us make another step in this class, to go for our big [title] target.”

Beirer was speaking to a small group of journalists in the aftermath of the Vinales-Bastianini Tech3 announcements but said his full focus will now return to the current season.

“I’d like to stop talking after our conversation here about Enea and Maverick because it’s also not fair,” Beirer said. “They have great teams and great manufacturers behind them [this year]. They’re fighting for great results.

“We had to announce [the 2025 deals]. But now it’s time for us to step back, go home and work with the four boys we have. They deserve our full focus from our side and the other factories deserve from us to keep our fingers away from their riders.”

Big-name rider deals in the aftermath of Mugello involved four riders in the current top six of the world championship, three of whom - title leader Jorge Martin (Ducati), Bastianini (Ducati) and Vinales (Aprilia) - will now be changing brands for 2025.

“I cannot say how [Martin's move to Aprilia] will affect the future. But of course, if the championship leader is moving to another brand, I don’t know who’s going to be the favourite in each factory to finish the season,” Beirer said.

“That’s not my business because I have four boys and we need to perform and do better than in the first part of the season.

“We want to use the break before Assen to get our four boys up to speed.

“[Announcing Vinales and Bastianini] is a great moment to enjoy for a couple of hours but then we go back to the original plan. It’s a long season and there’s still a lot of work to do for this year.”

Jack Miller (16th in the standings) and Augusto Fernande (17th) will leave KTM to make way for Vinales and Bastianini. They are yet to confirm their 2025 plans.