A few months back, we reported that Red Bull was contemplating leaving its long-time MotoGP partner, KTM. The rumors had begun swirling last year, if we're being honest, as KTM was still restructuring its sports business after the brand nearly went bankrupt due to financial issues caused by its former owners. And there was a real threat that KTM's MotoGP team would see the chopping block due to those financial constraints.
That didn't happen, and Red Bull and KTM announced that they would re-up their partnership for 2027. At least, that's what KTM said in July of this year. That might all be changing if new rumors are to be believed, which have Red Bull parting ways with KTM at the end of the season and leave for Honda, a team it once had ties with, for 2027 and 2028.
More interesting, however, is the reported reason why Red Bull is leaving KTM and that's one Guenther Steiner, Tech3's new owner, former Formula 1 team principal, and the most outspoken person on any grid he's ever been on. That, however, is the part that gives me pause on this rumor, as it's a weird one to specifically call out, and call out so early in his MotoGP tenure.
According to GPBlog, which goes on to cite GPOne, Red Bull is leaving KTM for Honda for 2027 and 2028, which it originally worked with when Marc Marquez was at the team. Red Bull left Honda for KTM in 2023, and has since seen its investment into KTM and the Tech3 team sorta fizzle out, as the teams have struggled for podiums, struggled with financing, and never seen the acclaimed success that its Formula 1 teams have shown. Basically, there hasn't been the ROI for Red Bull that it demands.
Which is why when the rumors began about it leaving KTM for another team, we took it seriously.
But then in July, as mentioned above, KTM released a statement saying that "2027 will mark a new era for Red Bull KTM Factory Racing in MotoGP and for the series itself with an overhaul of the technical regulations. The relationship between KTM and Red Bull has always been very fluid and mutually supportive, and the orange Red Bull bikes will once again be an unmistakable component of the MotoGP grid." That "fluidity" might finally be coming to a head, however.
Neither Red Bull nor KTM have announced any changes as of yet, however, the reporting states that Red Bull doesn't exactly like Guenther Steiner, who worked for the company in Formula 1 ages ago. That, along with his very public persona and his penchant for just telling the world his opinions, has possibly rubbed folks the wrong way, and led to Red Bull not wanting to continue its operations with KTM.
I don't buy that, though.
Red Bull hasn't seen actual success in MotoGP in years. There've been a few wins here and there, but the energy drinks giant is pumping cash into a team that just isn't winning. And, with the Formula 1 team's recent downturn in wins and even podiums, I can see a world where Red Bull's execs are looking to make some deep changes. Whether that's what occurs is still anyone's guess, but pinning everything on Steiner seems sus. At least so soon after entering the MotoGP fray.
