KTM's Next Generation MotoGP Bike Copies Aprilia, and F1's, Insane Aero Setup

All's fair in love and MotoGP.

Photo by: MotoGP

By: Justin W Coffey

Jun 21, at 8:18am ET

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MotoGP recently hit the track at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli to test the highly anticipated 850cc prototypes. And one of those prototypes belonged to the Austrian manufacturer, KTM, which showed up with a bike wearing an air intake system inspired by the current frontrunners of the 2026 season, Aprilia.

Is imitation the sincerest form of flattery?

Earlier this year, Aprilia debuted a new intake system on their RS-GP, a Formula 1 concept that was adapted to MotoGP by the Italian manufacturer. It is effectively a copy of the F-Duct concept used by McLaren during the 2010 Formula 1 season.

On the McLaren MP4-25, the F-Duct system created an air channel at the front of the car that ran through the cockpit to the rear wing. According to Motorsport, “There was an opening on the left-hand side of the cockpit, and when the driver covered it with his hand, airflow to the rear wing would stall (and) depending on the length of the straight, the system allowed the car to gain up to 10km/h in top speed.”

So, how does that work on a MotoGP bike?

Photo by: MotoGP

Well, Aprilia incorporated small ventilation slots into the front fairing, on either side of the air intake. Just below the riders forearm you’ll find two additional openings that can be covered by the riders’ forearms when he tucks in down the front straight. The result is a separation of airflow along the side fairing, which ultimately increases the top speed of the motorcycle.

It was only a matter of time before other MotoGP teams began fiddling with this F1 aero tech, the first of which seems to be KTM, who adorned their 850cc test bike with an air intake located in a position almost identical to the one found on the RS-GP.

The two bikes that KTM were testing at Misano were ridden by Pol Espargarò and Dani Pedrosa, and both were wearing the F-Duct system, although the shape appears to be completely different than the one found on the Aprilia – and is also positioned further away from the front fairing.

Photo by: MotoGP

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Considering aero components are going to be limited when MotoGP transitions to 850cc powered machines next year, it’s no surprise that teams were testing theories and collecting data during the Misano test. And I suspect this trend will continue when MotoGP heads to Brno for the next test session, although that one will be off limits to the media.

With a reduction in power and limited aerodynamics upgrades available, teams will have to get creative to outrun their competition, and by creative I mean copying what worked on the previous generation of GP bikes and adapting it to the 850cc platforms (insert: sarcasm).