KTM ended the 2024 MotoGP as the second-best manufacturer but their season featured many 'ups and downs'.

Despite KTM's MotoGP future currently being in doubt the Austrian manufacturer was a consistent front-runner in 2024.

At the end of the 2024 season, it was clear that Ducati was the dominant force in the MotoGP Championship. The Italian manufacturer won 19 of the 20 Grands Prix, but behind them in the Constructors Championship was KTM in second place.

However, the Austrian manufacturer has not won a Grand Prix for the last three years. The last time KTM were victorious was in the 2023 Spanish Sprint Race.

“I have to be honest, our expectations have been a bit higher, especially for Brad [Binder] and Jack [Miller], but we’ve had our ups and downs,” began Beirer.

“We had a really difficult summer, but at least we managed to stabilize the situation and get some decent results.

“Looking back now, we’ve had six podiums on Saturday and six on Sunday. We’re the second-best manufacturer, so that’s great. But of course, we thought we’d be closer to the Ducati guys, who have done another fantastic job this year.

"We have to congratulate them for what they’re doing out there, but we still keep fighting, charging, and learning.

“We feel we’re getting closer again and have received some really good feedback from Brad [Binder] and Pedro [Acosta] lately. We now need to secure fifth and sixth positions and second place as a manufacturer – that’s the target for the final round.

“But I still want to look at the glass as half full, not half empty, and I feel we’re in a good position from a sporting perspective looking towards next season, with the new riders on board. We’ve learned a lot more about our bike in the past few weeks, and that’s important.”

'We don’t think Aki [Ajo] is coming in and solving all our problems.'

In 2025 the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing squad will have a new Team Manager. After three years with Francesco Guidotti in the role, KTM decided to make changes at the top.

Aki Ajo will make the move to MotoGP as the new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager. The Finn has run Ajo Motorsport in Moto2 and Moto3 for decades and has produced multiple World Champions, including Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder.

Beirer looked ahead to the 2025 season by discussing Guidotti's departure and Ajo's arrival.

"Yeah, I don’t want to sound terrible by saying this, but I’m really happy that Francesco [Guidotti] will leave KTM as a friend," Beirer stated.

"Unfortunately, we didn’t get the success we wanted for many small reasons.

“We also made the decision for Aki because he’s a man who works really closely with the riders, and I think he can give them great advice on what to do on the track.

"There’s the fundamental work that needs to be done at home in the factory to produce a great machine because you can’t close the gap between bikes over the weekend just with the riders.

“Don’t get me wrong, we don’t think Aki is coming in and solving all our problems, but if we share the missing pieces – let’s say, we’ll build a better machine at home, and the riders will bring everything to the table at the right time – it’s not just about the riders.

"It’s also about team planning: when to go out for qualifying when to put in the lap time, and all those organizational aspects.

“We believe that Aki is maybe one of the strongest in this area, and he’s always had the ability to develop champions for us. Both of these guys know him very well and are looking forward to working with him. He made them champions before, so we trust Aki to give us that extra bit in the fight for the last 10ths of a second we need.

"But again, I’d like to say thank you to Francesco for giving everything until the last day. As I said, I’m really happy he’ll leave us as a friend, and who knows what the future will bring for us.”