KTM’s improvement in the second half of the 2025 MotoGP season could not have been expected after its difficult start, says Red Bull KTM Factory Racing boss Aki Ajo.

2025 was Ajo’s first year at the top of KTM’s MotoGP structure, taking charge of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team after the departure of Francesco Guidotti at the end of 2024.

It was the Austrian manufacturer’s third consecutive winless season, a streak which began after Miguel Oliveira’s success at the Thai Grand Prix in 2022, but one which showed unexpected progress for the factory after a winter of financial uncertainty.

“I have to say that, generally, the seasons are going quicker and quicker, but, of course, this season has been, let’s say, quite special for us,” Ajo said, speaking to MotoGP.com.

“It was a tough start for us, tough beginning of the year, but of course what I’m mainly happy about is the progress we’ve done during the season and what happened during the season.

“As I always repeat, I am the guy that’s looking at the smallest steps, doing the steps by understanding and steady progress. This really has happened this year, and, finally, I think we have to be quite happy where we are at the moment [...] with the results and the general performance. 

“If we specifically look about points and results, second half of the season we need to be really happy that we are really close to the top tier and, especially with Pedro [Acosta], we have achieved so many podiums that I could not even [count] at the moment, but it’s quite many!

“Of course, generally with the project and with the riders we have made steps. Let’s say that if we think about the moment in the first overseas [races], especially like Austin or something, maybe we could not expect that we can make these steps. 

“But MotoGP is really close now, the competition is so close, so I would not focus too much on what happened around, and too much about positions or anything; I think we need to focus for the daily improvements in our project. 

“This is how we are measuring it, how we are improving, how we are understanding, and how much by understanding we can improve. It’s better to give the focus for that.”

<H2>Acosta “growing” after “challenging” start

The success mentioned by Ajo from Pedro Acosta came from the middle of the season, after technical improvements from KTM but, perhaps more importantly, a change in approach and attitude from Acosta himself.

After starting the season complaining that the bike was not competitive enough and flirting with an early exit from his KTM deal to join VR46 Ducati in 2026, Acosta started to focus on his own performance and how to maximise his possibilities towards the end of the first half of the season, culminating in his first podium of the year at Brno.

Four more grand prix podiums followed after the summer break, and in the second half of the season Acosta was out of the top-five only twice, both after crashes, at Misano and Motegi.

“A lot, growing as a rider, but especially growing as a human, and it’s his second year,” Ajo said of the second-year Spaniard.

“First part of the season was really challenging for him, also, and let’s say quite stressful. Let’s say the expectations were a little bit higher and then it’s not always easy, to control it.

“I’m really happy how Pedro finally improved about the attitude, about the working, and let’s say the general focus for the right things. 

“This, of course, makes a big difference and, let’s say, one of the things that on his side we have improved.”