The opening day of the Sepang MotoGP test offered KTM plenty of reasons for encouragement, even if it remains too early to draw firm conclusions about the true performance of the 2026 RC16.
The Austrian manufacturer took an aggressive development approach over the winter, with greater stability at its Mattighofen headquarters allowing it to push ahead with updates that had previously been out of reach.
Pedro Acosta had already suggested at the launch that the scale of the changes made the bike feel as though KTM was “building a bike from zero” – even if, technically, it is not a clean-sheet design. KTM’s quartet of factory riders put the 2026 prototype through its paces at the Sepang International Circuit on Tuesday, a week after test riders Pol Espargaro and Dani Pedrosa carried out an initial evaluation in the official Shakedown.
On the timesheets, KTM ended the day as the second-fastest manufacturer, with Tech3’s Maverick Vinales finishing third behind Ducati duo Marc Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio with a late effort of 1m57.295s.
Vinales stuck to the same chassis he sampled at the Valencia test last November, instead spending the day evaluating a new swingarm and updated aero parts. The Spaniard praised KTM for finally addressing several long-standing weaknesses of the RC16, leaving him encouraged by the direction of development.
“During the morning, I was with the standard bike from when I left Valencia and straight away it was a very good feeling with the bike,” he said. “I feel really good with the feedback of the bike, with the feeling I get from it. Just that most of the day I was with the medium tyres, which are not that great to be on [for] good lap times.
“But the feeling was good, so as soon as I put the soft, like the others, I made a big jump on the timesheets. I tried aero, which we already know from Valencia was a step forward. And then I tried a swingarm and something that is included with the swingarm.
“Every little thing we try is a step forward on where we were weak last year. So, I think the guys did a really good job on those terms. But still there is room to improve and room to understand how I can be faster with the bike.”
He added: “For tomorrow, we will keep adding new items to the bike. I will have a chassis to try and some other stuff from 2026 to decide what works and what doesn’t work. But I’m really happy with KTM because for me it’s the first time in a long time that you can see that the factory touches the weak points of the bike. So that’s great news for me.”
Acosta on 2026 KTM
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Acosta, meanwhile, was unable to complete a proper time attack in the afternoon, leaving him 15th on the combined times based on his early effort on medium tyres.
Even so, the 21-year-old came away encouraged with KTM’s new-for-2026 chassis, which he believes will allow him to shift focus towards aerodynamic development during the remainder of the test.
“I was doing chassis configuration testing in the morning and I have to use these tyres to make it [through]. I think the chassis side is quite sorted. I’m quite happy about that,” he said. “We know that we suffer a lot in these long corners, like at Turn 3 or tracks like Australia or Silverstone. It looks promising, to be honest
“Then, in the afternoon, I was more focused on aerodynamics, just making laps. Now, I think I will need to work again tomorrow on aerodynamics because there is still work to do there.”
As for what he wants from the aero package, Acosta said he is looking for “a bit more turning” and “a bit more stability in the front of the bike”.
One of the RC16’s biggest weak points in 2025 was its tendency to chew up tyres, which often left KTM riders struggling in full-distance races. Acosta said it is still too early to say whether that issue has been fully resolved.
“I completed a lot of laps in the tyre, to see also the rhythm of the race. This looks quite ok,” he said.
Pedro Acosta, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“But tough to say, because you know that the tyre situation is quite limited. I see that many guys were using a lot of time on the medium this morning, and I was just making 15 laps and jumping early in the stops to make chassis checks. For this reason, maybe I lost the chance to make some time attacks in the afternoon, but it was quite ok.”
KTM entered the 2025 season in the middle of a wide-ranging restructure under administration, which severely limited its ability to develop the RC16.
However, the situation couldn’t be any different at the start of the new season, with Acosta noting that KTM reacted to the feedback he provided after his first run on the 2026 prototype in November’s Valencia test.
“It’s a big improvement compared to last pre-season,” he said. “But one thing is to be surprised and the other thing is to be happy now. They were working a lot, they brought exactly what we were asking for, and it looks like, at the moment, they touched the point with the chassis. Let’s see what is waiting for us tomorrow.”
But for all the resources KTM has invested in developing its 2026 contender, Acosta remains realistic about whether the upgrades would translate into improved performance on track. Asked if he can be happy with KTM’s work over the winter, he said: “I can tell you on day three. If you are not fast, the work is for nothing.”
KTM’s other riders Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder finished 12th and 13th on the leaderboard. The latter largely ran the same RV16 as last year “to build up the speed”, but will “start throwing stuff on the bike” from Wednesday.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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