KTM Motorsport director Pit Beirer has played down claims that Honda has overtaken KTM in MotoGP, stating that while the Japanese manufacturer has clearly closed the gap in 2025, the situation is far from a turnaround in the competitive order.
Beirer said Honda’s improvement was never a surprise, pointing to the scale of its resources. With a significantly larger budget and full use of concessions, Honda has been able to accelerate its development throughout the season. Despite that, Beirer insists KTM has managed to stay ahead.
He stressed that Honda’s gains only highlight the strength of KTM’s work, especially considering the Austrian manufacturer does not enjoy the same technical freedoms. According to Beirer, Honda may be closer, but KTM has not been surpassed.
The rivalry between the two manufacturers has a long and tense history, dating back to KTM’s early days in MotoGP and earlier disputes in Moto3. While relations have cooled in recent years, competition between the two brands remains intense.
In the 2025 season, Honda finished just 87 points behind KTM in the constructors’ standings and climbed out of the lowest concession category. KTM, however, endured a difficult campaign, extending its winless run to three seasons despite showing flashes of competitiveness with the RC16.
Looking ahead to 2026, Beirer believes KTM ended 2025 in a stronger position and hopes that momentum will carry into the new season. However, he also highlighted a key concern: the engine development freeze imposed on manufacturers outside concession rank D.
He explained that Honda and Yamaha were able to continue evolving their engines throughout the season, while KTM was forced to race with a frozen engine specification for two years. In his view, this creates an uneven playing field, as rivals can introduce upgrades race by race while KTM must stand still.
