English
Italiano
In the first two MotoGP tests of this year, the two KTM newcomers in Hervé Poncharal's Red Bull KTM-Tech3 Factory Team tried as well as possible to get along with their brand mates Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta, who will form the Red Bull KTM Factory Team in 2025 and are riding the RC16 for the sixth and second year respectively. After the three days of testing in Sepang (Malaysia), Maverick Viñales was in 16th position, 1.372 seconds behind, while Enea Bastianini was close behind in 18th place on the Tech3-KTM, losing 1.518 seconds to the best time set by Alex Márquez from the Gresini Ducati team. By comparison: Acosta secured sixth position (+ 0.682 seconds), Binder finished the test in 13th place (+ 1.121 seconds). In Buriram, Acosta was in 4th place after two days (+ 0.278 seconds), Binder (+ 0.877 seconds) in 12th place. The Tech3 duo Viñales (+ 0.751 sec) and Bastianini (+ 0.982 sec) finished 9th and 15th.
In an exclusive interview with GPOne.com, team owner Hervé Poncharal reported on the findings of the winter tests and expectations for the start of the Thai GP the weekend after next.
Hervé, what is your summary after the 2025 winter tests?
"We have to take into account that Maverick has already ridden for Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia and therefore has experience of changing brands. He has coped with inline engines and also with V4 engines, which were quite different concepts, so he is used to adapting to new concepts and changing manufacturers. Enea came to MotoGP in 2021 and has now had four years with Ducati. He has always ridden a Desmosedici. The DNA of his riding style was 100 percent suited to this bike. He handled the Ducati exactly as it should be handled. Now Enea has to adapt to a different brand for the first time".
What do you like about Bastianini?
"He has huge potential. He finds some things on the KTM that are better than at his previous manufacturer. He says he still rides the KTM like the Ducati, but Enea is improving step by step. At Sepang he was still a bit disappointed. But in the days in between he spent three days with the team in Bangkok, there was an excellent atmosphere, he talked to the team about the technology of the KTM RC16 and his riding style, and they exchanged ideas. Enea then arrived at Buriram with a pretty positive attitude and managed to make a much bigger step forward than in Sepang. So Enea is coming closer to our expectations".
Is the Factory team the reference?
"At the moment Brad Binder is the most useful reference within the KTM family. The ultimate reference at KTM, however, is Pedro Acosta. He has only ridden KTM in MotoGP so far, now in his second year. His riding style suits KTM 100%, he loves the bike. Pedro has so much trust in the front wheel, he is an exemplary late braker, which is why he can often overtake when turning into corners. He is currently the best KTM rider. When riders like Enea look at Pedro's data, you can feel admiration, they want to emulate him. But Enea does not yet have the necessary trust in the bike to be able to do what Pedro does. That is why Brad Binder is the more suitable reference point for our two riders for the time being. And we are already getting closer to him; Maverick has already done very well in Thailand. We were quite happy with his performance, he was 0.2 seconds faster than Enea who showed clear improvements. Maverick is enthusiastic about the KTM, but he also claims that he needs more laps with this vehicle. But he also emphasizes: “My blood is orange.”
For Enea, the winter test season began in Catalunya in November with a wild crash that may still be in his bones.
"Yes, that was a heavy crash. But in Sepang and Buriram, Enea only had two harmless slides at low speed. They weren't worth mentioning, there were just a few scratches on the fairing".
What are the Tech3 team's expectations for the Thailand GP?
"Under normal circumstances, we shouldn't expect a top 5 finish. Sure, you can say we lack ambition. But we're up against six first-class factory Ducatis, a strong Aprilia line-up, and Honda and Yamaha are also improving day by day. We saw in Buriram that we're getting closer to the top. And I'm pleased that both of our riders are speaking very positively about the technical package. They look at Pedro and Brad and emphasize: This bike has potential. The atmosphere in the team on both sides, with Maverick and Enea, is also excellent. The riders are happy when they can spend time and have dinner with the team. There is a really good atmosphere in the pits. That is important".
During the first six years with, the Tech3-MotoGP team often competed with at least one rookie from Moto2. Now you have Viñales with a total of 26 GP victories and Bastianini with twelve GP victories in the team. Is that the "best ever" rider pairing? Viñales has already been third in the MotoGP World Championship twice, Bastianini third once and fourth once.
"I agree, with Enea and Maverick we have the best riding duo since we entered the premier class in 2001. But last year we had the best rider ever since we joined forces with KTM in 2019. I knew from day one what Pedro Acosta was made of. He is a diamond. Now with our experienced rider Enea and Maverick we have to improve step by step. But in MotoGP you never know exactly what will happen. Maybe we can pull off a surprise right at the start of the season next week. But we are not kidding ourselves and are not automatically assuming that we can finish in the top ten at the first Grand Prix".
Tech3 Rider line-up with KTM since 2019
2019:Miguel Oliveira, Hafizh Syahrin
2020:Miguel Oliveira, Iker Lecuona
2021:Danilo Petrucci, Iker Lecuona
2022:Wayne Gardner, Raúl Fernández
2023:Pol Espargaró, Augusto Fernández
2024:Pedro Agosta, Augusto Fernández
2025:Enea Bastianini, Maverick Viñales
