Are KTM finally back? “Isolated moment” not "significant turnaround”

KTM have been warned that their best MotoGP weekend of the year not the rebirth that they are hoping for.

The Austrian manufacturer has faced an uphill battle throughout 2025 on and off track.

They have fought against serious financial issues at their headquarters, and have had an uncompetitive MotoGP bike for the most part.

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But at the Czech MotoGP they finally found a breakthrough, with Pedro Acosta on the podium in the sprint and grand prix.

Brad Binder and stand-in rider Pol Espargaro were also inside the top 10 on Sunday, while Enea Bastianini was on the podium on Saturday.

KTM told big breakthrough was 'an isolated moment'

But the Crash MotoGP podcast insisted that KTM’s high might be short-lived.

“The track surface being grippy has helped KTM. We know the bike flows and gets into the corners okay,” Lewis Duncan told the podcast.

“Brno has hard braking points into flowing corners, and the KTM has the grip to do that.

“I assume it didn’t have the same vibration issue.

“It was the third-best manufacturer at Brno. We saw for most of the weekend that Aprilia was faster than KTM.

“We have seen at the past few rounds that Acosta has found consistency and Vinales, when fit, has been consistently up there.

“I don’t think Brno is a significant turnaround. It will probably be viewed as an isolated moment.

“Brad Binder's form proved that. He wasn’t anywhere in qualifying. He got to the top 10 at the grand prix which wasn’t what we expected from him, based on what we saw from the other KTMs.

“Enea Bastianini was quick given he has had no luck, and no good form this year.

“I don’t think a switch was flicked and, all of a sudden, KTM are competitive.

“Even Pol Espargaro was up there! That’s not a knock against Pol but he hasn’t raced in a year, then he turns up to Brno and was in the top 10.

“I just think the grip from the surface really helped KTM.”

Star factory rider Acosta admitted after his second podium of the Brno round that he had bickered with the manufacturer over their poor performances.

Espargaro said: "The bike has been working well here since the beginning of the weekend, and in the race it felt great.

“Maverick would have done a great job here because this track would have suited his riding style perfectly.”

But Binder, a former winner at Brno, is still battling his KTM despite finishing ninth in the grand prix.

“It’s nowhere near enough and not where I want to be at all,” he said.

“But currently I’m trying to figure things out, trying to find my speed and I think from 19th on the grid it’s always going to be a bit tricky.”