Official: Tech3 extends KTM MotoGP contract until 2026

It has been officially announced that Tech3 will continue as KTM's satellite MotoGP team for the next five years.

The French team raced with Yamaha in the premier-class from 2001-2018 before switching to KTM in 2019, winning its first MotoGP races with Miguel Oliveira in Austria and Portugal last year.

With Oliveira moving to the factory KTM team this season, Tech3 currently runs Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona.

Tech3 receives the same factory spec RC16 machinery as the official Red Bull team.

“I feel very proud, very privileged and very honored to announce our renewed partnership with KTM," said team boss Herve Poncharal. "I think we will be the first independent team to announce a five years agreement with a manufacturer in MotoGP history.

"This is quite an achievement and it also highlights how strong our relationship is and how well the first three years of our partnership have been working. I believe the best is yet to come. We share the same values, the same target, which is to never give up and be ready to race.

"So now that this deal is done, signed, confirmed, let’s work even harder on the 2021 season and of course let’s think how to be best prepared for 2022.

"I really believe this organization has all the ingredients to be winning and it’s just up to us to put all the pieces together to make it work and chase victory at every single round.”

Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director added: “We are very proud to make this announcement of a new five-year deal with Tech3. It is a very important strategic move for us as part of our long-term strategy in the sport.

"We already agreed our participation with Dorna for another five years and it was vital to have that foundation and stability in MotoGP by renewing our agreement with Tech3.

"For the last few years we have been building-up our structure and now it provides an incredible path from Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup, Moto3, Moto2 and then four valuable places in the premier class where we want to succeed.

"With Hervé and the Tech3 crew we have the ideal partner and we see the whole operation as part of ‘one team’. It’s more than a pleasure to say we’ll be able to attack the next five years together.”

With Tech3 remaining with KTM, Pramac expected to stay with Ducati, LCR with Honda and Petronas in advanced talks with Yamaha, the biggest question marks look to be over which machinery the Gresini and VR46 Independent teams will use. Gresini appears to be mainly speaking with Aprilia and Ducati while Valentino Rossi says VR46 is still in talks with "Aprilia, Yamaha, Ducati… Suzuki also."