KTM's 2026 MotoGP season has not gone the way that it would have hoped it would. The team has suffered numerous issues, ranging from injured riders, ongoing financial issues hovering over its head, a will-they, won't-they back-and-forth with Pedro Acosta, who's now going to Ducati, and most importantly, an engine that doesn't seem to want to work.
The latter has been the subject of ongoing discussion, as while KTM has petitioned MotoGP to break the rule of not being allowed to open up its pre-season sealed engines to see what's going on, the team's rivals have adamantly told them, "Absolutely not."The conceit behind the sealed engine rule is one that makes sense, as if teams are allowed to change parts, it could give them a further lasting advantage and start up an arms race that costs teams millions, and put other less well-funded teams at a disadvantage.
But KTM hasn't been asking to change the performance of its engines, rather just see why the hell they keep breaking and causing potentially serious safety issues. Now, after much deliberation, it seems they're finally going to get their way, as the rest of the MotoGP grid has agreed to let them crack an engine open and see what's wrong.
The unsealing and likely fix won't occur until just before the Aragon GP, which is set to take place at the end of August, but according to new reporting by our siblings at Motorsport, KTM will be allowed to do it.
KTM had officially asked the governing bodies within MotoGP to open the sealed engines during the middle of last month, only for the teams to tell KTM to kick rocks. Now, however, they've received their approval. "Initially, KTM did not receive the required approval," says the outlet, adding, "with sporting director Pit Beirer indicating that only Aprilia had agreed to the plan. However, after the summer break, the rest of the manufacturers have given the green light from the standpoint of rider safety."
The team then confirmed the fix will occur to the outlet, telling Motorsport, "We confirm that we have received the necessary approval to proceed with the corrective measures related to the technical matter we have been managing. Our objective is to implement these measures as soon as possible. In the case of Silverstone, we will continue with the provisional solutions currently in place."
However, the fix isn't super straightforward, as the rules dictate that the opening of the sealed engine "may only be carried out under the supervision of a championship technical official." They'll then verify the part KTM is replacing—which is, hopefully, the part causing the issue—watch KTM swap the part for a new part, and then reseal the engine. And, hopefully again, the fix will mean that KTM and Tech3 will have racebikes ready to actually fight for the lead.
Not ones down on power or losing power at horrendously bad times.
