Has KTM hit a ceiling with its MotoGP bike in 2024?

KTM’s early season run of three consecutive podium finishes now seems like a distant memory. To think that Brad Binder was able to finish just 1.239s behind race winner Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in Qatar just four months ago is almost hard to believe, considering where KTM is in the pecking order at present.

Take last fortnight’s German GP for comparison. The top RC16 of GasGas rider Pedro Acosta finished only seventh and more than 14s behind the leader, a week after Binder had taken the chequered flag 16s down in sixth. In fact, since Acosta finished second in the Americas GP in April, a KTM rider has only been able to finish inside the top five just once in a grand prix. Those statistics make for pretty grim reading.

Factory rider Jack Miller made a poignant revelation at the Sachsenring that could explain why KTM’s form has suddenly disappeared.

“We are on the same package in terms of base stuff, we have the same stuff as Misano last year,” he said.

“There’s always going to be a roof and you need to develop and make things better to improve that and move the roof further. 

“We are on a similar chassis that we have been on since Misano last year, the first addition of the carbon fibre frame, but we haven’t made any adjustments or done anything to that. 

“There are areas we can work on the bike to try to set the bar higher.”

KTM, of course, shook the MotoGP paddock in September last when test rider Dani Pedrosa debuted a chassis made entirely out of carbon fibre at Misano.

Both Miller and Binder switched to the same frame later that month, marking a major leap for the Austrian manufacturer in its pursuit of catching the all-conquering Ducatis.

But the fact that the KTM hasn’t been able to improve that chassis in the next 10 months goes to show just how far it has dropped behind in the development race since then. From bringing new innovations to not introducing any major updates, it’s quite a departure for the Pierer Mobility Group.

Of course, throwing new parts on the bike every weekend doesn’t always bring forward a step in performance. What KTM needs is a methodical plan, as Binder explained during the Sachsenring weekend.

“We haven’t had an update for a long time, for sure,” he said. “More than anything [what] we need is a clear understanding of which direction to go in. 

“We have…