Francesco Bagnaia was ‘amazed’ at one thing KTM have managed to achieve during the 2025 MotoGP season

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KTM showed signs of trending in the right direction during the fourth round of the MotoGP season in Qatar, even if they weren’t able to keep their result.

Few expected that Maverick Vinales would be able to challenge for victory and place the factory Ducati bikes under pressure, including finishing ahead of Francesco Bagnaia.

The Tech3 was rapid, and KTM looked as if they had finally managed to score a podium before a post-race penalty for a tyre pressure infringement.

Fortunately, there are 18 more rounds of the MotoGP season to make up for the disappointment, and it was at least an encouraging indication of what may be to come.

KTM are ‘super happy’ with Vinales even though he has been a bit impatient at times during his first season with them.

After his Grand Prix of Qatar success, Vinales wanted KTM to honour one contract clause and pay his bonus for reaching the podium, even if he had been demoted afterwards.

READ MORE: Neil Hodgson explains ‘exactly’ how KTM Tech3 made a crucial Maverick Vinales mistake at the Qatar Grand Prix

Francesco Bagnaia was left ‘amazed’ by KTM’s acceleration in Qatar

Between the four KTM riders, it was Pedro Acosta who was expected to be the man to secure a trophy for them first this season.

However, it ended up being his fellow countryman and a man riding for the team who secured all five of their rostrums in 2024 that would enjoy the first success of the year too.

Tech3 boss Herve Poncharal reports that even Bagnaia was surprised by how quick the KTM bike was able to exit some corners in Qatar.

“Maverick sometimes exited the corners better than Marc and Pecco, so he also had plenty of grip in lean angle. Pecco was amazed at how quickly Maverick was able to accelerate out of corners,” Poncharal told GPOne.

“If you want to deliver a performance like Maverick did on Sunday, you need more than just a powerful engine. Our package was capable of fighting for second place at the Qatar GP.”

Why KTM could be MotoGP’s dark horse for the rest of the 2025 season

After dealing with a tricky financial predicament over the winter, developing their MotoGP bikes would have been near impossible for KTM.

Now their future looks a whole lot brighter, they should be able to start to develop their machines and bring some meaningful changes to them.

Remaining competitive with what is an outdated package is impressive, and now they have an opportunity to chase Ducati down and establish themselves as the second fastest manufacturer.

Honda were linked with Acosta for 2026, but he may be more inclined to hang around for longer if he finds himself in contention for better results soon.

They have some very talented riders within their stable – Enea Bastianini was a factory Ducati rider last year, and Brad Binder always finishes in the top five of the riders’ standings it seems. The foundations are there to kick on.