Tech3 MotoGP boss assures ‘mood in team not as bad as results suggest’

Tech3 KTM MotoGP team boss Herve Poncharal assures the mood in the team is not as bad as results suggest, as the squad sits last in the standings.

Poncharal’s outfit enjoyed a strong 2024 as it fielded superstar rookie Pedro Acosta, who scored nine podiums across sprints and grand prix last year on his way to sixth in the championship.

For 2025, Tech3 assembled arguably its strongest line-up ever as it welcomed Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini - who combine for 17 grands prix wins - while also forging closer ties to the KTM factory.

Tech3 KTM struggling in 2025 MotoGP season

But the first three rounds have been a struggle, with Tech3’s duo scoring just 22 points between them as they continue to adapt to a difficult KTM machine.

Bastianini equaled brand’s best result of the season last time out at the Americas Grand Prix, though this was only a seventh-place finish, and has scored 16 points so far.

Vinales only has six to his credit, with a best of 12th in Argentina, while his Americas GP was wrecked by mechanical issues.

Overall, KTM has endured a difficult start to the new campaign, though - speaking in an interview with Italy’s GPOne - Poncharal insists the mood in his camp is not as dour as one might expect.

“The mood among our riders and in our Red Bull KTM Tech3 MotoGP team was - and is - significantly better than our actual performance and results show and suggest,” he said.

“We were very happy with Maverick because he already felt great on Friday on a track he loves [at COTA].

“We all remember 2024, when he confidently secures the pole position, sprint, and the GP victory in Austin.

“With Maverick, we got a rider into Q2 on Friday the first time this year [at COTA], which put us in a positive mood.”

He added: “Enea had a great pace on Sunday. He set a lap time of 2m02.914s, making him the fastest KTM rider on Sunday.

“This allowed him to improve from 17th to seventh place.

“In the end, Enea was only one second behind fifth place and two seconds behind fourth place. He lost six seconds on the first lap.

“I don’t want to discuss the ifs and buts, though. We finished seventh. Those are the facts. But Enea stormed forward with astonishing speed, and he had the rider in fourth place within striking distance.”