KTM “need to be happy” with 2026 MotoGP podiums but “time again to find stability”

Aki Ajo says KTM “need to be happy” with its 2026 MotoGP season so far, but has called for an improvement in consistency in order to be able to challenge at the front again.

KTM’s 2026 MotoGP season has been one of variance. There have been strong results with Pedro Acosta, who won the Thailand Sprint, and has stood on the Sunday podium at Buriram, the Circuit of the Americas, and Balaton Park; but on the other hand, the likes of Brad Binder and Maverick Vinales have relentlessly struggled, with Binder having not cracked the top-six yet this year and Vinales having been outside the top-10 in all eight of the 11 races he’s started.

Things have been marginally better for Enea Bastianini, who has taken two top-sixes on Sundays as well as a podium in the Sprint in Texas, but he still only sits one place above Binder in the standings in 12th.

The performance of Acosta is the focus for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team manager Aki Ajo, though, and it’s something KTM should be pleased with even if the latter part of the first half of the season was dominated by bike problems for the Murcian.

“Somehow, we need to be happy when we have reached some podiums, and of course especially Pedro [Acosta] that his basic performance has been all the time in a high level,” said Ajo, speaking to MotoGP.com.

“Especially the start of the season was really great for us. Of course we would sign for this that we had somehow made steps.”

Ajo feels that the steps made in 2026 began in the second half of 2025, when Acosta in particular was able to find good consistency with RC16, finishing in the top-five in every race from Czechia onwards with the exception of a technical retirement at Misano and a 17th in Motegi after a crash.

“I would say that already last year I feel in the second half of the season that we started to improve, we started to understand our package, and let’s say technical updates were working; and I think also for the work of the team, for the feeling, and for everything, so it was a positive mood,” said Ajo.

“The [2026] season started really well, but I would say that we had ups and downs during this year, but now it’s time again to find the stability and fight on the top.”

Ajo added that the improvements to the package came from a number of areas, but he highlighted aerodynamics in particular.

“For sure the technical improvements were in many areas,” he said.

“We worked a lot with the aero packages and different aero material, but of course there is, around the bike, many different things. 

“The competition in MotoGP is so close, so development of course for everyone is a daily, neverending story.”