Marquez's salary better spent on bike development

The Honda Marquez rider has long been associated with a possible change in KTM because of his close ties with the main sponsor of the Austrian Red Bull team.

But the Spaniard, whose current contract with Honda is in effect until 2020, has repeatedly downplayed his interest in exploring MotoGP options away from his current employer.

Speaking at the launch of his team in 2019, Pierer – who had already criticized Ducati for spending too much on Jorge Lorenzo's salary – suggested that an offer for Marquez's services would not be the right one. decision for KTM at this stage.

"Marc Marquez is an exceptional runner," said Pierer. "He would certainly be able to win with our equipment. Thank God, the runner is always very important in motorcycle racing.

"It's always difficult at the beginning of a project. If he wins, it's because of the rider. If he does not win, that's the fault of the bike. You can only lose.

"I do not even talk about the rider's salary, even if Red Bull would pay him. I prefer to save money on the bike. But it takes a deep breath and patience. "

KTM, which now has four RC16 entries after adding Tech 3 as a satellite team, has been hired by Pol Espargaro and Johann Zarco.

Espargaro made his first MotoGP podium finish at a wet track race in Valencia last year, while Zarco signed as a sign, after choosing to join KTM despite Honda's keen interest.

Pierer revealed that KTM 's MotoGP program, which employs 180 people, is running on a budget of 40 million euros in 2019.

"We are in our third year and we are still beginners, but we are on the right track," said Pierer. "Running also means patience.

"It took us seven years to win the Dakar Rally. Since then, we have won 18 times in a row.

"MotoGP is a five-year program and we are now in our third year. The first year we started surprisingly well and the second year we lost because of injuries. [to Espargaro and test rider Mika Kallio]but in the end we caught up.

"For this year, I think I'm in the top 10. If we get a podium, it would certainly be a good thing. Uniform one-digit finishes should be possible with our riders. In fifth grade, we want [reliably] fight for the podium. "

Zarco and Espargaro finished the pre-season tests at Sepang, 17 and 18 respectively, although Espargaro later claimed that the RC16 had made huge gains in cups.

"We are less than a second behind [the leaders]", Estimated Pierer. "Between 0.5 and 0.7 seconds.

"We are in the fortunate position of being able to try a lot of things during the year [due to manufacturer concessions]. "

Stefan Pierer, KTM

Photo by: Gold and Goose / LAT Images