KTM has announced a rebranding of its satellite Tech3 team for the 2025 MotoGP season, as well as two new riders for the French squad.
The rebrand will see Red Bull KTM colours stretch over two teams, as Tech3 bins off the GasGas red it has worn since the beginning of 2022 and reverts to the Red Bull KTM colours it - sort of - ran in the first seasons of its KTM tie-up.
In addition to a new livery and team name (Red Bull KTM Tech3), the team will have two new riders.
It had already been confirmed that Pedro Acosta will move up to the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team starting from next year, but the news of Tech3’s 2025 recolour also comes with confirmation that it will lose Augusto Fernandez in 2025.
The Spaniard will make way as a new duo comes in. First, there is Maverick Vinales, who won his sole world title with KTM back in the 2013 Moto3 World Championship, while Enea Bastianini made his first full World Championship season with KTM a year later, in 2014, when Gresini Racing ran KTMs for one season.
8a9a.jpg "Maverick Vinales signs for Red Bull KTM Tech3 for 2025 MotoGP season. - KTM")
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Nicolas Goyon, Tech3 Team Manager, said: “We are delighted to announce that Enea and Maverick will be with us next year and we convert back to KTM.
“We cannot hide our pride that these two talented riders have decided to ride our bikes. It shows we’ve followed the right road, and our technology can fight at the front for the championship.
“We would like to thank Pierer Mobility AG for the quality of their support. Our collaboration has reached the top level this year and I’m sure it will keep growing in the future.”
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsports Director, added: “We’re very happy we could bring both Enea and Maverick into our MotoGP project and give them full factory backing and support to keep following their goals and to reach their maximum performance.
“It’s clear we are talking about two of the fastest riders in the world right now and it is a compliment that they trust us and the first-class operation we’ve created together with Red Bull KTM Tech3.
“The team’s label for 2025 says it all: it is time to strengthen the KTM name again and we couldn’t think of a better way to bring this kind of value to the company than for Enea and Maverick to go full Red Bull orange. Let’s push on for the rest of 2024 now and then look forward to this new start for next year.”
While Enea Bastianini’s move away from Ducati was already confirmed after Marc Marquez was announced by the Bologna factory, Vinales’ departure from Aprilia comes almost as a shock. Rumours had begun to swirl at the Catalan Grand Prix that Vinales might leave Aprilia, but the improvement he has made with the RS-GP this year would have seemed to suggest he would stay on in Noale. Instead, his departure would appear to open the door to a rider like Marco Bezzecchi, who has endured a tough 2024 so far on year-old Desmosedici machinery, but who proved his potential last year with three GP victories.
