In the first half of 2025, KTM seemed utterly lost. The Austrian factory had two new riders in Tech3, Pedro Acosta having graduated to the factory team alongside Brad Binder. In the satellite Tech3 squad, Enea Bastianini floundered, while Maverick Viñales went about the business of being fast, blithely unaware of the fact that no one else in KTM seemed to know how to make the 2025 RC16 work.
It was obvious to even the most casual observer that KTM were struggling. Four riders had four different bikes, and each seemed to be pursuing their own direction. There was no sense that anyone had a clear idea of how the RC16 was supposed to work. It felt like KTM were just throwing parts at the bike in the hope that they would spontaneously self-organize into a race-winning motorcycle.
