KTM’s 2026 MotoGP bike not doing “strange things”, but rivals have “scary” pace

Pedro Acosta says the 2026 KTM MotoGP bike is doing “no strange things” right now and believes it is a step forward, but notes the brand’s rivals have “scary” pace.

The Austrian manufacturer has not won a grand prix since the 2022 season, with last year proving to be a frustrating season of two halves.

A bigger push over the winter to bring new items has led to an overall positive outlook for KTM as it approaches the 2026 season, though it still appears to be the third-best manufacturer.

Pedro Acosta was sixth overall as the leading KTM at the end of Sunday’s Buriram test, while noting that the RC16 looks to have better tyre preservation than previously.

However, he remained wary of Aprilia and Ducati, who he says have “scary” pace heading into the new season.

“Quite happy with the time attacks that I made this morning, quite happy with the position; we were inside the top five, and normally that’s our target,” he said on Sunday.

“And I’m not far from first.

“In the afternoon, I was working on my race simulation. It was quite ok, but it’s true that Aprilia’s and Ducati’s ones looked quite scary.

“But I was happy, to be honest. We arrived at lap 24, 25 alive with the tyre, which is much different to last year.”

2026 KTM feels “natural”

Acosta has made it through the entire pre-season without a crash, suggesting that the new RC16 is easier to push on.

The Spaniard confirmed this, though believes he left time on the table in his time attack on Sunday as he wanted to avoid delaying his race simulation with a fall.

“I’m quite happy with all the support the brand is giving to me,” he added.

“We are working quite fast and we have made a step compared to last year. This is important.

“We can be worried if we don’t improve personally, but we cannot manage if the others improve.

“The bike is better than last year. It looks easier, everything is coming easier.

“Maybe this [not wanting to crash] was the limitation I was having in the time attacks, because knowing that I had the race sim in the afternoon, I didn’t want to really push this extra and lose time preparing this simulation.

“I’m quite happy. The bike feels more natural, no moments, no strange things.”