KTM, Tech 3 showcased slightly darker livery for 2026 MotoGP season, as Lola Yamaha confirmed split with ABT after 2026.
Orange, blue, speed and go: Red Bull KTM officially pushes its teams and riders into play for 2026 with the official unveiling of the livery and partners for the MotoGP season ahead. 2026 represents the tenth year of elite level world championship Grand Prix racing for Red Bull KTM.
The line-up of Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales for Red Bull KTM Tech3 head into the fierce heat of MotoGP competition this term with the latest (and last) iteration of the KTM RC16 within the guidelines of the current technical rulebook.
Red Bull KTM will aim high for 2026 and have re-touched arguably the most distinctive race livery on the MotoGP grid for the new assault on the timing screens. Numbers will define the campaign: the milliseconds on the track, the hours of work by dedicated team staff, the days of planning by factory engineers and the weeks of strategy to get ahead of the game both for 2026 and with a view to the next generation of MotoGP racing machinery.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “In the second half of 2025 we were starting to make good races, good results, even when we were not having our best days. We were able to manage to be in this top five constantly. All-in-all it was really good to be able to fight for 3rd place in the Championship. Thanks to the team and to KTM, for this. We go for more this year and to start in the right way from Sepang next week.”
Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing: “It’s been a great off-season. I took a couple weeks off and got a lot of riding done, a lot of cycling. I’m looking forward to a fresh start again this season and hopefully we can get back to the performances I know I’m capable of. MotoGP is tough: if you look at the lap times and there’s almost nothing in it, but the way every single rider does it is always different. Some on the brakes, some on throttle, some completely different riding styles. Last year I felt like I was thinking the whole time on the motorbike, instead of letting just my natural ability take over and that’s one thing that I want to change for this season. Just really enjoy riding the bike a bit more. I’m quite confident that I can make a good step up.”
Enea Bastianini, Red Bull KTM Tech3: “It was so important to reflect on 2025 because it was a complicated year, I think, but also it was good in a way because I’ve learned a lot. 2026 will be different because I will know more about the bike, about the team. I think I will be much stronger. I’m motivated to be back on track because I want to fight again for something important. This year I think the factory will be very strong. I saw much potential, especially during the test in Valencia last year. I think we are Ready to Race, ready to fight.”
Maverick Viñales, Red Bull KTM Tech3: “Last year was a great experience for me: I needed to understand many things in a very short period of timebut after two races I started to understand the bike, how it works, so I was able to be competitive very quickly. Then we had the crash in Sachsenring. There were two or three ways to recover but we needed to discover which one was the best for my shoulder, for my type of injury, and the guys in the Red Bull APC helped me to follow a way to recover quicker. Now, I feel that I have a big responsibility to make this project a winning project. This is something really nice because I always feel that when I have this type of pressure – when I have this type of responsibility – I am at my best. So, I’m ready to ‘eat’! I have a lot of energy for this year.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “Last year was somehow quite special for us after a challenging start. We had steady improvement during the season. I really feel that we made a big step generally for all the communication and for simplifying many aspects. Things were coming and results were coming by understanding and bydaily improvement. You just focus for small daily steps because it’s not easy to do big steps in short time, short term. We know the potential of the bike, the riders, the teams and the group. This means we can be excited about the potential for 2026 but we will keep patience in the work and focus.”
Nicolas Goyon, Red Bull KTM Tech3 Team Manager: “2025 was emotional. We had some huge highs and unfortunately some down moments in the season, but it’s part of this sport. We started this collaboration with KTM in 2019 and I have to say that since then the factory has been helping us more and more and 2025 was the season where we’ve received more than ever. Both teams were evolving at the same level. Now, we’re really looking forward to work with our new management, I really feel we’re prepared for this new season, this new era. So overall, I’m excited about this new challenge.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director: “We have four fantastic riders in our group and each one has something very special. Last year, I feel we couldn’t really make the package ready for everybody to show their best potential. So that was the highest target we had over the last weeks: to make sure everyone gets what he needs to perform. We have belief, and many strengths and we stick together as a team. This makes me very confident that we have all the right people on board, and the bike improved quite a lot over the last weeks and months. I feel we are ready to race. 2026 will be a busy year: on one side everybody wants to look to ‘27 and think about that. But I just don’t want to forget ‘26 is around the corner. We want to make this year our year, and use all the chances we have. It’s time to go for it in ‘26.”
Here’s video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrhy31c83IM
MotoGP 2026 reveals so far –
Lola ABT split in Formula E –
Mark Preston, Team Principal, Lola Yamaha ABT: “With the continued growth of the organisation, long-term commitment to Formula E and additional projects in the pipeline, Lola Cars has made the decision to consolidate its Formula E operations in-house at our Silverstone HQ. This will enable us to streamline activities, increase expertise for upcoming projects and better drive innovation through motorsport.
“ABT were our partner of choice to operate the team as we entered the all-electric racing series, with vast experience and technical expertise within Formula E. We’d like to thank them for all of their hard work and dedication during our first two seasons in the sport and look forward to continuing to collaborate with them for the remainder of Season 12.”
Other news –
RLLR adds personnel to its IndyCar team: https://rahal.com/rahal-letterman-lanigan-racing-announces-personnel-additions/
[The story is as per press release]
