The season kicks off on March 6 at the Losail International Circuit, the Grand Prix of Qatar, the opening stand for the 16th consecutive year of the MotoGP World Championship. 2022 will be just KTM's sixth season on the MotoGP track. In 2016 in particular, Losail was the starting point for their first full-time participation in MotoGP. During that intense period of study, the factory often tried to close the gap with the top teams. They have since soared to the top with five Grand Prix victories and 12 podium finishes in just five years. Binder (26 years old, 17 career wins, 2 MotoGP) prepares for his third MotoGP season, all at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing. Oliveira (27, 15 career wins and 3 MotoGP) joined MotoGP a year ago but is currently the most accomplished in the foursome and has made five podium finishes in three seasons, all using the KTM RC16.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing welcomed Francesco Guidotti as team manager, with the Italian overseeing former Moto3 and Moto2 teammates Binder and Oliveira on the driver's roster for the second consecutive season. Guidotti will bring his previous experience and nuances in this level to a refined lineup focused on pure results, with the KTM test team led by Dani Pedrosa and Mika Kallio leading the development of the KTM RC16 outside of the Grand Prix. Brad Binder: I've learned a lot in the last two seasons that it's hard to just pick something special. I think every year has its own challenges: in my first season I had to manage my expectations a little bit, I often thought too much, too early, made a lot of mistakes. Last year I had to accept our situation at some point and try to take the car home, which was difficult, but I learned a lot last year: I learned a lot about the level, how to save my tyres better, how to manage the race, I really enjoyed it. So, I'm going into my third season and understanding what I need to do to get faster and I'm looking forward to the start of the new year. I'm better prepared than ever."
Miguel Oliveira: Last year we took a big step forward in four races, I got three podiums and one win, which was great. Then injured in the second half of the season, the game became very tough: it was definitely a learning experience for me. I lack consistency and of course this season I want to improve that. Reaching the limit and still thinking about finishing the game is never an easy task. I would say if I could score in every race and then the result would be completely different at the end of the championship, so we just want to reach the full potential of myself, the car and the whole team and turn it into results." Francesco Guidotti, Manager of the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team: "It's important to do better than the previous year. To do better, we need more stable results, more stability in the top five and on the podium. We have to develop cars to make drivers happy and give them the right feeling and confidence to achieve these results. Of course, their position is important because they need to show the potential of the car and the project. They have 2-3 years of experience at this level, so maybe it's the right time to use this experience. They've won some games, so the ability and potential are there, so we have to see it more often. Over the past five years, the results have been incredible; Like KTM, starting from scratch, what they've achieved is incredible and we want to keep it going."
PitBeirer, Director of Motorsport at KTM: "2021 is the most successful racing season our team has ever had. What's amazing is what we achieved in the road race paddock for the year: winning the Moto3 World Championship and the Moto2 World Championship, and finishing 6th in MotoGP. It has super power for everything in the future. When you start a project like this in MotoGP, you want to win a race one day, and it sounds simple to say, but to really do it, it takes so many people to get involved, it's an incredible effort. We did it. It's on paper, but we also have to learn it through hard ways; You win one weekend in this level, but the next weekend you're struggling to qualify for Q2 because it's too tight. Our goal now is to stay steady every weekend, finish in the top five and compete for the podium at the end of the season. That must be the goal of the season. I know it's a very high goal because other manufacturers have ambitious goals too, but we're strong now: we have teams, bases, cars and drivers." Hubert Trunkenpolz, Member of the Executive Committee of KTM CMO: "We have exceeded 2 billion in revenue for the first time in our history, which is another milestone for the company. A continuation of years of growth. It's an incredible success story and we're very excited that we were able to make it happen. On the other hand, when we look at motorsport overall, we've won 21 titles, which is another record, and motorsport is by far the most important marketing tool we have. There is no doubt that this incredible success of motorsport is inspiring the company's revenue and brand awareness, which is very important. 2021 saw some amazing stories: Miguel back-to-back podium finishes, Brad wins at home, Pedro Acosta, Moto2 title battles. We can't wait to see what happens in 2022. Drivers who know how to win races also know how to win championships. It's up to us to provide them with the right materials, the right status, the right team and the right situation. In addition, the correct backup from the factory. If everything is together, then the drivers will help us all achieve our goals."