07.02.2025
The clock is ticking louder towards the launch of 2025 MotoGP and both the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 teams completed three intense days of testing with KTM RC16 machinery at the Sepang International Circuit. After hundreds of laps and plenty of evaluation and assessment, it was Pedro Acosta who managed the fastest lap-time in 6th place.
Sepang, home of the Malaysian Grand Prix in what will be a long 22-race campaign, was again the traditional stage for the first laps and new technical developments for a fresh MotoGP season. KTM brought their work and ideas from the short winter break to the long and demanding layout close to Kuala Lumpur international airport. The test team of Dani Pedrosa and Pol Espargaro were active during the Shakedown days and then the track cleared for the full MotoGP grid and Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales were able to cast their judgement.
While Acosta and Binder were able to work through a range of modifications and components to best harness the grip potential of the Michelin tires – including aerodynamics, electronics, chassis tweaks and WP suspension – Bastianini and Viñales continued to adapt to the characteristics of the KTM RC16. The first day in Sepang was surprisingly cool before the temperatures climbed on a roasting day two and then the final session was complicated by light showers.
By the end of proceedings, Acosta’s best lap meant he was less than 0.7 from P1 and was followed by Binder (P13), Viñales (P16) and Bastianini (P18) as the factory completed their R&D tasks. Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 will now take part in the first official MotoGP season launch presentation in Bangkok on Sunday (9 February) and then make the relatively short trip to the Buriram International Circuit for the final two-day test on 12-13 February.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 6th: “Quite happy with everything that we tried and we have many conclusions. We also have quite a few questions for the Buriram test. We still had a little bit more speed in the pocket here, but we now need to be ready for more in Thailand. We have space to improve, and we need to re-try things to be ready for the races.”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, 13th: “We got through a ton of stuff these days but we have not made the perfect package yet. A busy time here in Sepang. We did a lot of jumping between settings and we have a lot more understanding. We have a couple more days next week, and everything is going according to plan. We have definitely found something for this year and step-by-step we’ll get there. I think we are doing OK and it’s time now to sit down and put everything together and then dial-it-in for next week.”
Maverick Viñales, Red Bull KTM Tech3, 16th: “I’m happy. Positive days. I needed two more I think! I started to be well set-up towards the end of the final day. When you jump on a new bike you need work and the first job was to understand the bike, which we did quite well. I needed to understand how to stop it; this was not an issue at the Barcelona test but it was here, and by the end it started to come better. Onto Thailand which is a different track but the conditions will be similar and we’ll continue our progress. Overall, I feel the really strong points of the bike and on some others I need to adapt.”
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech3, 18th: “Some small progress these days. We tried different things but my overall sensation was similar and I still need to find the strong area of this bike. We have time. We were very good in the first and last sectors in Sepang and I like the braking but we’re losing speed in the faster corners. We’ll use Thailand to be focused for the first race.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “A very productive and hectic test for us…but not only the three days because I would say it is a continuance of work from the Shakedown with Dani and Pol last week and all the effort by the engineers. Brad and Pedro were able to work and give their feelings as Maverick and Enea were new and getting used to our bikes. We wanted to have a very clear opinion on our package because that is important for riders coming from other manufacturers. I would say it has not been a test to see our level but to look at the many parts we had to check and we also have to be thankful for our development group in Austria that has done an amazing job in the winter. We tested a lot and we are still not ready but we will pull everything together next week in Buriram that will also be the place for our first race. We need to focus a lot next week to get the final set-ups for the season.”
Sebastian Risse, KTM Technical Director MotoGP: “We had one big test program between the private sessions and the official three days here in Sepang and we shared the work among the six riders. We focused on the basic start spec for the season to understand the fundamentals, then the details to gain confidence for the latest configurations. I think we have learned a lot, probably more than we have done for quite a long time, and we have found a couple of improvements. There were many actually but we still need to put them together and logistically time is quite tight to be ready for the first race. Everybody is full-gas but we are confident we made a step and then we’ll see how it relates to how everybody else is doing in Thailand. With Brad we worked with a different engine and chassis configurations and aspects of aero and electronics. With Pedro he had done the engine part on other occasions, so the work was more about chassis and suspension and aero. With the new riders they needed and appreciated some track time but it was a tough schedule for them also. They jumped into the game well and thanks to the experience they had in Barcelona test we had all winter to think about the aspects they wanted to work on. We were ready to make a move. We wanted them to test all the chassis configurations we had, which is more than we usually bring over a winter, and we could combine some different aspect on the matrix. We could see a common line and we have knowledge of where to go for the season with all four of them. We are very curious to see where this leads.”
Photos from the Sepang International Circuit can be found HERE
Sepang official test final times
1. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati 1:56.493
2. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +0.007
3. Fabio Quartararo (FRA) Yamaha +0.231
6. Pedro Acosta (ESP) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +0.682
13. Brad Binder (RSA) Red Bull KTM Factory Racing +1.121
16. Maverick Viñales (ESP) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.372
18. Enea Bastianini (ITA) Red Bull KTM Tech3 +1.518
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E: evangelia.sissis@ktm.com