KTM financial struggles and MotoGP results are not linked

KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer has hit out at critics claiming that the brand’s MotoGP project is struggling as a result of the financial problems for the Austrian manufacturer.

Speaking on the world feed on Saturday at the Qatar Grand Prix, Beirer said the road bike factory’s well-documented money problems were no issue for the MotoGP campaign, and added that KTM would win races this year.

Although the four KTMs on the grid have struggled to perform in the early part of 2025, Beirer said it was wrong to assume a connection between the financial headlines around the wider KTM brand and the race team’s issues.

“I’ve been angry because it looks like everybody has put everything in the same pot,” said Beirer during Free Practice 2. “[They say] ‘There is a KTM crisis, results are not coming, [KTM] doesn’t have money to buy spare parts.’ That is all bullshit.

“We came into the new season prepared. We brought many new parts. But then we just couldn’t put the package together right.

“Then there were rumours that we couldn’t go testing. No! We couldn’t go testing because the track at Jerez was broken [following recent flooding]. There was a plan to go there. Then last week we tested at Misano. And we were in the wind tunnel the other week.

“We are giving everything. We have a strong team at home working for the riders. At the end of the day… with no results, it’s easy to blame the crisis. But no, we are prepared for the future of KTM and we have so much support from the company to keep racing at a very strong level.

“[The problem has not been a case of] having no new parts. But not everything [new] you bring is better. We had to take a step back with some parts… that’s normal in racing. So it’s all fine – we just need to prove it.

“Look at the other disciplines: Dakar, motocross, supercross… and we are winning everywhere, we are winning in Moto3. Just MotoGP is so brutal, and that’s why I’m underlining here that… we don’t want to blame the crisis. We have everything we need to perform.

“We [just] need to regroup. We shouldn’t be disappointed in not winning [this race]. I feel that around fifth position is where we should try to stabilise our project. From there, we’re going to win races this year.”

Beirer was also asked about the ongoing paddock rumours that an unhappy Pedro Acosta, who has struggled to reproduce the form from his stellar rookie year in 2024 following a move from Tech3 to the factory team, will be poached out of his 2026 KTM contract. On this matter, Beirer was somewhat less forthright in his response.

“Pedro has a contract with us and I feel okay. I take it as a compliment [that other teams are interested]. Other teams want to have good riders, that’s also racing.

“We have to perform and make Pedro feel comfortable to stay here.”