Pedro Acosta has told KTM how the team will have to change the RC16 for the 2026 United States Grand Prix, because they “need” Brad Binder to be able to perform on the bike.
KTM It mostly depends Acosta In the first two rounds of 2026, only to direct their efforts MotoGP season in Thailand and Brazil. The 21-year-old won the Buriram Sprints to finish P2 at the Thai Grand Prix, leaving Brazil third with 42 points.
binding Although he is the second best KTM rider this season, he is in ninth place with 13 points. Tech3 stars Ine Bastianini And Maverick Vinales It is also only ranked 17th and 20th, with the former scoring five points at RC16 and the latter yet to score a point.
Director of motor sports “It’s not where we want to be,” admits KTM’s Pete BaerAcosta is the only rider who can deliver on the RC16. Bastianini showed on United States GP The Italian could have a strong weekend after finishing 10th in Friday’s practice.
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Pedro Acosta urges KTM to make RC16 ‘more consistent’ to help Brad Binder
Acosta led KTM’s effort as a rival to Ducati. Marc Marquez puts his pace in action at the United States GP. In the pre-qualification session. The Spaniard’s 2:00.927 was 0.323s slower than his compatriot, while Bastiani and Binder (in P19) were 0.652s and 1.510s slower.
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Vinales withdrew from the United States GP due to injuryAfter last year’s surgery, the rotator cuff in his shoulder was released. But seeing Binder struggle shows Acosta that KTM needs to make the RC16 “more consistent” for everyone, so they can improve the bike.
“I didn’t feel as bad as Brazil, but we still lack a little bit of engine power,” Acosta said. Engine script. “We improved a bit when we were skating, but we lacked speed in one lap.
“All the riders on this bike now have to be able to go fast. Ine did really well today, but Brad and Maverick struggled at the beginning of the year. Let’s try to pick a consistent package for everyone to gather more information.”
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Michelle Piro is “surprised” by the difference between Acosta and Binder. This year in the factory KTM garage, the former has outperformed his teammate. Binder only came as P6 Acosta won the Sprint in BuriramP7 at Thailand GP and P15 at Goiania Sprint.
Binder crashed out of the Brazilian GP, which saw Acosta finish in P9 by a margin of 13.153s to Bastianini in P15, the second best KTM racer. KTM has paid a premium to make the RC16 a more complete bike. This term, however, did not make Binder profit in the same way as Acosta.
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