Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League
KTM has parted ways with MotoGP Technical Director Fabiano Sterlacchini after failing to agree on the terms of a contract extension.
Sterlacchini joined KTM as KTM's marquee signing for 2021 and was seen as a major coup for the German manufacturer as he was seen as the right-hand man to Ducati technical guru Gigi Dall'Igna during a period in which the Ducati Desmosedici was transformed from a flawed and limited machine into a dominant force in MotoGP.
His arrival as technical director came as part of something of an organisational restructuring, as it soon became clear that team principal Mike Leitner was now KTM team manager, replacing Francesco Guidotti at Pramac, and the recruitment of personnel from KTM to Ducati continued the following year.
However, Sterlacchini's contract is up for renewal and the news that he and KTM were parting ways was reported by Italian outlet GPOne over the German Grand Prix weekend and later confirmed by KTM's head of motorsport Pit Beirer on the series' official broadcast.
Beyrer, pictured below, told MotoGP.com that it had been a “whirlwind week” for KTM.
“Fabiano's contract expired at the end of last month and so over the last few weeks we have had discussions and of course tried to renew his contract for another three years.
“But at the end of the day, we just couldn't agree on some points.”
Baylor said Sterlacchini was homesick but that wasn't the “main excuse” for not agreeing to a contract renewal.
He praised Sterlacchini for helping to put the project on “very solid footing so far.”
“We have a lot of great people, and over the last three years we've been finding them with him, and we're happy with what he's done.”
“We both agree that we don't want to get too deep into the discussion of why we don't want to continue together, but there is no breach of contract. He is at the end of his contract and we were unable to come to a proper agreement about the future. Ultimately, he leaves KTM as a friend.”
But he also said, “It's a shame for me that we didn't finish what we started together. We had a plan, we had a mission, and somehow we had to give it up.”
KTM currently sits third in the MotoGP constructors' standings, two points behind Aprilia but a long way behind leaders Ducati.
They have yet to win a premier class grand prix since 2022, but Brad Binder claimed two sprint wins last year, and with the emergence of rookie Pedro Acosta in MotoGP, their title hopes look stronger than ever in the medium term.
