MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Pedro Acosta has cast doubt on KTM’s ability to fight for victories at the start of the 2026 MotoGP season, stating that currently there are “two brands that are quite outstanding” compared to the rest of the field.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider enters his third year in the premier class with the Austrian manufacturer still seeking its first win since the 2022 Thai Grand Prix. Despite encouraging signals during the winter development phase, KTM has so far appeared to be the third-strongest manufacturer across the four completed days of pre-season testing.
Acosta endured a frustrating 2025 campaign on underperforming KTM machinery, missing out on what could have been his maiden MotoGP victory. At the team’s season launch in January, he spoke positively about the work carried out on the RC16 over the winter break.
However, early indications from Buriram suggest that while progress has been made, the gap to the benchmark manufacturers remains.
Reflecting on day one of the Buriram test, where he finished 14th after opting not to attempt a time attack, Acosta focused on the positives from his sprint simulation.
“Looks quite ok, much better than the one from last year,” he said.
“Also, comparing with other guys, it doesn’t look dramatic.
“We know that in this short distance we struggle a bit, but it was not crazy. I’m quite happy.”
He acknowledged that without a representative time attack across the first four test days, KTM’s outright pace remains difficult to measure.
“The problem is I never made a time attack in the four days that we have been riding.
“For this, let’s try to make it tomorrow and see where we are.”
Acosta believes the RC16 has taken a step forward in overall performance, but he was clear that Ducati and Aprilia currently set the competitive standard.
“Sprint simulation looks ok, like I say,” he continued.
“Tomorrow we will do the full race simulation. That will tell the truth.
“If it’s much, much better, we should be able to fight for the win. It’s better.”
He then highlighted the strength of KTM’s main rivals.
“It’s clear there are two brands that are quite outstanding.
“Ducati still has its domination, looks like even more than last year, and Aprilia has started the season where it finished the last one. For this, still work to do. It will be a competitive year.”
Acosta’s assessment underlines KTM’s current position: improved, but not yet at the level required to consistently challenge for race wins. With Ducati maintaining its benchmark status and Aprilia carrying momentum into 2026, KTM faces further development work before it can realistically target the top step of the podium in the opening phase of the season.
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