MotoGP rocked to its core? KTM predicted to dominate worrying storyline

Crash.net writers predict which storyline could explode in MotoGP this season...

Lewis Duncan: KTM’s future will be the major talking point of the 2025 season. The Austrian manufacturer’s financial crisis is having a major impact on its racing programmes.

Across the board it has had to scale back its factory presence. While MotoGP will go ahead as planned in 2025, there is a “planned” withdrawal set for 2026 under the marque’s current restructuring process.

There is every chance that the racing division can have its future safeguarded, but this is a very fluid situation and one that will surely have more twists before it is resolved.

Peter McLaren: Aside from the world championship battle, KTM’s worrying financial situation has so many implications for MotoGP, which already has the delayed Liberty deal to navigate.

Thankfully, the KTM MotoGP project looks safe for 2025, but there’s a question mark over 2026 and especially whether the RC16 will continue under the new 850cc rules from 2027.

Most other manufacturers are expected to put a prototype 850cc bike on track by the end of this year.

The uncertainly is sure to play on the minds of not only KTM’s four riders - its strongest ever MotoGP line-up of Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder, Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini - but also team members.

Rival teams won’t hesitate to pick off riders or key personnel if they become available, adding to KTM’s woes.

On the positive side, if KTM’s quest for investment results in global motorsport superstar Lewis Hamilton becoming part of MotoGP it would only be good for the sport.

Jordan Moreland: Jorge Martin and Aprilia. It will be interesting to watch Martin's temperament throughout the season, especially if things don't go how he wants it. He is the World Champion, he has high expectations of himself. But let's see if he can guide Aprilia in the right direction.

Alex Whitworth: The Bagnaia-Marquez battle really could blow up into something, but the apparently impending collapse of one of the championship’s five manufacturers – KTM – has the potential to drown out almost all of the sporting conversation this year.

Especially as they currently hold contracts for the most exciting rider in MotoGP, Pedro Acosta, and – through CFMoto Aspar – the contract to the most exciting rider in the lower classes: David Alonso.

The loss of KTM from MotoGP really would be seismic, especially with the 2027 rule change looming ever larger.

Derry Munikartono: I don’t want to talk about ‘the battle in Red’ between Marc Marquez and Francesco Bagnaia, as I’ve had enough of it already.

For me, the impending takeover of MotoGP by Liberty media would be one of the most interesting storylines for the 2025 season.

Liberty’s takeover of Dorna, who manages the commercial aspect of MotoGP, gives us a glimpse of upward trajectory for the series, as they did with Formula 1.

Since acquiring F1 back in 2017, Liberty rapidly boosted the series into one of - if not the most - popular sporting spectacle in the world. Some people in the MotoGP community expect the same when they take over the motorcycle counterpart.

But there is one problem with the investigation of antitrust law with the European Union (EU) that postponed the takeover until mid-2025. As much as the excitement of the takeover prospect, we need to wait for the verdict before welcoming Liberty media with high hopes.