Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder is currently suffering his worst MotoGP campaign ever after retiring from three of the first eight races of the year.
The South African rider has never retired from more than four races in a season, and he still has 13 more races to go this year to suffer no more than one DNF.
His KTM bike has not suited his style for the most part, leaving him well behind teammate Pedro Acosta once he had got up to speed.
Binder is under contract until the end of 2026, but he will be hoping that the next year and a half doesn’t carry on as 2025 has started.
Although times have been tough, KTM have been impressed. Binder has done something ‘never’ seen in a MotoGP rider by managing to reset and deliver after having his confidence knocked.
It comes just days after a revelation that Binder had lost ‘confidence’ on KTM’s bike following the introduction of new rear tyre technology by Michelin.
Brad Binder has privately said he ‘doesn’t know’ why he has struggled for KTM in 2025
Just one race ago, Acosta said KTM’s weekend ‘couldn’t get any worse’ at Aragon, following a difficult weekend. He struggled to find a front tyre which suited him.
The Spaniard has finished inside the top eight in each of his last seven events after a tricky start to the season, too. He seems to have found a way to ride around his issues, which Binder cannot replicate.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Gavin Emmett shared what Binder has been saying privately about his issues in 2025.
“This will be a shot in the arm for the South African. He has had a horrible year so far and you speak to him, and he’s almost, he feels like he doesn’t know why things are going awry for him,” he said.
“KTM are throwing bits and bobs [on his bike]. Look how different the rear of their bikes are. We’re onboard here with Pedro Acosta, look at that big ‘salad box’, the stegosaurus wings on the back of Brad Binder’s bike. Pedro doesn’t have any of that.”
READ MORE: Brad Binder explains what he must now do to ‘make the leap’ to catch KTM teammate Maverick Vinales
How Brad Binder managed to turn a page at the Italian Grand Prix
Heading into the Italian Grand Prix, Binder had failed to score a point in a Grand Prix for three races, with the last one coming at Jerez.
He has begun to make some uncharacteristic errors, leading to crashes which had also denied him some solid results.
Finally, at Mugello, he managed to dig deep and find a result with a ninth place, finishing less than half a tenth behind Acosta at the line.
It will be a big boost and reminder that he can still cut it and be the team’s fastest rider on his day. He just needs to focus on keeping his bike on the track and getting back to his form that led him to fifth in the championship last year.
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