Nicolas Goyon makes blunt admission about Tech3’s prospects amid Enea Bastianini’s struggles

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Tech3 had reason to enter 2025 with optimism on the back of a successful campaign. New arrival Pedro Acosta lit up the premier class, helping the team score nearly 250 points.

Acosta couldn’t deliver Tech3’s first MotoGP win since 2020, but he did bag five podium finishes. A promotion to the works team was inevitable.

Teammate Augusto Fernandez struggled and dropped off the grid, but the KTM satellite squad assembled an exciting new line-up. With Marc Marquez graduating to Ducati, they snapped up Enea Bastianini – a seven-time MotoGP race winner.

And on the other side of the garage, there was a surprise swoop for Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales. He’s aiming to become the first rider to win with four different manufacturers.

KTM’s financial woes have inevitably sewn some anxiety. But they insist it’s business as usual this year, with bike development unaffected by the organisation’s debts.

Tech3 are being treated as an extension of the factory team, which is why they’re running an almost identical livery. Bastianini and Vinales have been promised equal treatment to factory pair Acosta and Brad Binder.

Nicolas Goyon says Tech3 riders Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales can’t fight for ‘top positions’

Tech3 didn’t trouble the top of the times on day one of the final pre-season test in Buriram. Bastianini finished 16th in the combined standings (there were morning and afternoon sessions), while Vinales was 18th.

Their best time of a 1:30.461 was around 1.3 seconds off Marquez’s benchmark. The time-attack runs on Thursday will offer a better indication of their position in the pecking order.

It’s also true that KTM aren’t necessarily targeting Ducati as it stands. Their first target must be to establish themselves as best of the rest amid competition from Aprilia and an improved Yamaha.

But speaking to MotoGP’s official site, Goyon admitted that they’ve dropped back. In the early rounds at least, Tech3 won’t be able to fight for the podiums they enjoyed last year.

“It would be a lie to say that we are targeting podiums or top five,” he said. “I believe the lap time will improve [tomorrow], clearly. But at the moment, we are not in the position to fight for the top positions.”

Enea Bastianini is worried after what he saw in KTM’s MotoGP data

KTM may be reliant on the supreme talents of Acosta to drag them into top-three contention until they can make a breakthrough. Bastianini has already studied Acosta’s data to see whether a set-up change can unlock more speed.

The Spaniard dipped below the 1:30 mark on Wednesday, outpacing Binder by a tenth and Bastianini by half a second. He’s consistently been the lead rider this winter.

Bastianini is struggling on corner entry, the data shows, as he adapts to a new bike. He was concerned by how much he was losing through the technical sections in Sepang.

Similarly, Vinales has reported braking problems after making the switch from Aprilia. Tech3 are now short on time to address their issues before the first practice session in Thailand, just over a couple of weeks away.