2025 KTM RC16 less “natural” for Pedro Acosta than 2024 bike
Pedro Acosta says he needs to adapt his style to the new KTM RC16.
New Red Bull KTM signing Pedro Acosta has explained how the 2025 KTM RC16 MotoGP bike is a step up compared to the 2024 machine, but also that it has characteristics that are less “natural” to him.
The Spanish rider was the best KTM and best non-Ducati on Friday, ending Practice third-fastest behind Alex Marquez and Marc Marquez.
Acosta described his Friday in Thailand as “maybe the best one I had since I’m a MotoGP rider,” but also admitted that he’s having to adapt his style to the 2025 variant of the KTM RC16.
Pedro Acosta makes 2025 MotoGP admission
“[With] this bike you need to flow a little bit more, we need to use more the corner speed like our competitors are doing,” he said, somewhat contradicting what Enea Bastianini said at the Buriram test two weeks ago.
“I need to also understand how to do it, because normally I try to brake super-late, [...] and now it’s completely the opposite to brake smoothly, try to have corner speed and be fast – we need to understand also these things because it’s not easy after 15 years riding like this to change the style.”
Despite the required adaptations, Acosta was sure that KTM had followed the correct direction for 2025.
“This [bike] is better,” he said. “You suffer less, the bike is moving less. In general it’s better.
“It’s true that some things were more natural last year, but natural doesn’t mean faster.
“We need to try to be faster. A human can make more difference than a machine, so we can try to adapt ourselves much better.”
One of the most obvious changes, from the outside, on the 2025 KTM is the addition of the square tail section that is thought to contain a mass damper.
“To be honest I don’t really know what changes inside the box, but it’s just better,” Acosta said.
“I don’t have a [reason] why in my head. When I go out from this test, I still don’t understand why the bike is better.”
He added: “It’s a good thing that this thing came to our lives, but they need to improve the first version is not always the more performant one.”
Alex joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having covered consumer and racing motorcycle news at Visordown for two years.
