Two years ago, a South African pilot electrified crowds wherever the Caravan des Grands Prix stopped. Brad Binder, flamboyant since its early Moto3 debut, has been extremely discreet since the start of the 2024 season. But is it really strange? How to explain it?
A return to his true nature?
I have never been a big fan of Brad Binder, because, a bit like Alex Marquez, I don’t like his style, his overtaking, his character on the track. Once the helmet has fallen, it seems very nice, but that is not enough to make a large MotoGP pilot. Between 2020 and 2022, it was one of the most discreet, being noticed only on very rare occasions. It was one of the last real “regular” with Luca Marini, a species close to extinction. Then came this absolutely crazy 2023 season, with overruns in all directions. For the first time, Brad Binder was playing in front of almost all the time. He was spectacular, and even me, not necessarily sensitive to his piloting, could only recognize the grip he had on the public.
We hardly saw her on the screen. Photo: KTM
Since its second place at the Qatar 2024 Grand Prix, it has been a radio silence. More a podium, and still no pole position, without a doubt its big weak point. Hold on: He did not enter the top 5 – Saturday like Sunday – Since the Grand Prix of Austria 2024more than eight months ago. For me, this is akin to a homecoming rather than a descent into hell, because since then, this regular pilot has become again that I knew and that I appreciated in 2022. But it is strange, because, in general, it is very rare that the transformation goes in this direction.
Of course, the first reflex that all human being would have a little bit interested in the Grand Prix would be to think of the performance of the motorcycle. Indeed, there is a good chance that the KTM RC16 vintage 2025 is lower than the previous one, and, that it itself was already slower than its predecessor. This is surely true, but two elements should be noted. First of all, Binder was quite largely dominated by Pedro Acosta Throughout the second half of the 2024 season, equal equipment. When the South African could not integrate the top 5, Acosta was rushed into pole position and posed serious problems for the factory ducati. Second, what Binder says.
Since his arrival in Grands Prix, it is one of the pilots who is expressed the least often to the press. But he has been complaining for about a year, of vibrations perhaps due to an excess of grip as Luca Marini suggested. Acosta, who did not feel them at the end of 2024, is also plagued by this problem on these last sleeves. And this time, the young Spaniard is much closer to Binder in terms of results.
A notable difference
But it is not because the two KTM officials follow each other in the standings with a single gap (Acosta advantage at a time when these lines are written) that it is equal. In an area, Pedro largely dominates his teammate: qualifications. Again and again, Binder blocks on this exercise : He only participated in one Q2 in five roundswhile Acosta, in the United States, ranked fourth on Saturday morning! It is worrying, because I think that this parameter, among others, no longer bindes the clear first option under the Mattighofen awning, without even mentioning the age difference.
-Speaking of the angry things, Difficult not to mention the case of Maverick VINALESwhich is doing wonderfully well for two races. Binder recently extended to the progress made by KTM for Sunday, but obviously, Vinales benefits more than him. I fully understand that a question of style exists, but I have a lot of trouble grasping that a pilot that I formerly classified among the best in the world is outdated at this point by Maverick Vinales, who, in addition, discovers the motorcycle.
You may find me hard with Binder, and it’s true that the end of the season is still far away. But we must not forget that at his arrival in MotoGP, he was seen as un cracka genius, and which he has imposed himself as a rookie, which Pedro Acosta did not do. The 2016 Moto3 world champion was once able to make the song to Jorge Martin and Pecco Bagnaia, and that’s why the contrast saddens me.
There is no doubt that the financial problems that KTM currently undergoes do not help performance and state of mind, and I hope with all my heart that Brad Binder will get upespecially since he is already 29 years old – casually, time goes. I do not want to seem pessimistic, but the outposts currently seem so far … while I have much less trouble imagining a return to Acosta’s affairs.
I am curious to have your opinion on Brad Binder and his way of managing the problems of the KTM RC16. Tell me in comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thought of its author, and not of the entire editorial staff.
In fact, has KTM has really progressed since 2023? This is another important question. Photo: KTM
Cover photo: KTM
