KTM has radically altered the way it views riders in MotoGP. The Austrian company has multiple prospective talents associated with its teams, and is heavily involved in promotional championships. As a result, it has exposed young riders to the elite class, like Pedro Acosta, Miguel Oliveira, and Brad Binder.
But the days of giving young motorcyclists more credit are over. KTM has chosen experienced riders for 2025: Binder and Acosta, who, although still a rookie, has already shown championship potential this year, will be on the official squad; Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales will go on the Tech3 team.
With contracts that expire at the end of 2026, all of these riders can be sure that there won’t be any openings for rookies on KTM teams for the ensuing two seasons. Crash.net cited Pit Beirer, director of KTM Motorsport, for his explanation of this choice: Naturally, if you were to ask me what I would always want, it would be to see riders from our own «Academy» competing up there. You can see how challenging and intricate MotoGP is. If you absolutely must have an exceptional rookie, it makes sense to enter MotoGP right away. Pedro has demonstrated that it is feasible. However, we also faced difficulties. Entering MotoGP, even a world champion in Moto2 can face significant challenges.
The German went on to underline why KTM chose experienced riders over developing rookies because of the expenditure and the necessity to succeed in the MotoGP class: “If you looked into the total investment of the MotoGP class, take a budget of many, many millions and divide it by four.” Each rider bundle is worth millions of dollars. And it seems to me that you simply don’t have the time in MotoGP these days to suggest, “Okay, let’s make a kind of schooling project.”It is imperative that you perform. And not only to get attention. for the caliber of the entire group as well. To have one winning rider in the group, you need at least four good riders; to determine the next course of action for the second practice, you need data as soon as possible on Friday morning. Therefore, it just felt more natural to pick GP winners and push the project as a whole and each other.
