KTM factory rider Brad Binder made his mark on day one of the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island by setting a fast lap to secure his place in the second MotoGP qualifying session. The South African was able to take advantage of the difficult and unpredictable conditions, where the weather alternated between sun and rain, to finish in 7th position, less than half a second behind Marc Marquez.
The session, disrupted by possible showers, pushed all the drivers to attack from the start to achieve their best times. Binder and his teammates, Jack
Miller et
Pedro Acostainitially performed well, all placing in the top 10. However, the end of the session proved more complicated for some. Jack
Millerleading for a while, fell and finished 12th, whileAcostawho had fallen while pacing the wet grass after braking, was unable to restart his bike and finished 13th.
Binderdespite a session that he described as “disjointed”, managed to stay in the top 10. His time of 1’28.2 placed him 7th, ensuring his presence in Q2.
Brad Binder :
« the bike is not yet where I want it »
He expressed relief after the session, saying: “
I must be satisfied after this day. It didn’t seem normal to me to go straight into qualifying with so much pressure. The lack of FP1 made everything stranger, everyone was in a hurry because of the fear of rain. »
Despite this performance, Brad Binder stressed that he was not entirely satisfied with his feelings on the bike: “ I made several small mistakes. The bike is not yet where I want it. I tried the medium and hard tires at the front, but the biggest problem was at the rear. The grip simply disappeared several times when I hit the gas. »
Like all pilots, Binder hopes that the next free practice session on Saturday morning will allow us to fine-tune the settings. With the cancellation of FP1, the program has been adjusted to allow 40 minutes of driving in FP2, instead of the usual 30 minutesto compensate for lost time and allow drivers to better prepare for qualifying.
MotoGP, Australia J1: times
Related News :