Marco Bezzecchi
KTM had two bikes in the top five and three in the top 10 at the Dutch Grand Prix after a successful weekend in Assen.
The anomaly was the usually dependable Brad Binder, who trundled home in 11th and didn’t look competitive for much of the event.
Somehow, KTM still don’t have a podium on their books despite Maverick Vinales seemingly having front-running pace at every event this year. He has finished in the top five on three occasions.
With 12 races of the MotoGP season to go, they’ll be looking forward to accelerating their development as the year progresses, which has shown signs of improvement, namely with Pedro Acosta recently.
After a troubled year which has left him 13th in the championship, Binder has lost ‘confidence’ in KTM’s bike.
One KTM issue was ‘absolutely impossible’ to deal with at Mugello as they battled front brake issues. Binder just cannot seem to catch a break.
Brad Binder says the ‘only positive’ from his Dutch Grand Prix for KTM was finishing both races
Binder’s struggles highlight the gap to Acosta, as he doesn’t know exactly why he has dropped off compared to last year.
A best result of just sixth place earned in Spain will be disheartening in comparison to 2024, when he hadn’t finished lower than 10th in the first 10 races.
Speaking about his struggles after the Dutch Grand Prix, where he finished nearly 25 seconds behind the lead, he was optimistic about only one thing from his weekend.
“I could do the same time every lap, but it was too slow,” he said, according to IOL. “I missed the speed here. It’s been tough, and the only positive thing is that I finished both races.
“But that doesn’t mean much to me. We need to go home and analyse where I was losing the time. In general, it is nothing too serious, we just need a bit more speed.”
READ MORE: Brad Binder explains what he must now do to ‘make the leap’ to catch KTM teammate Maverick Vinales
Why Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder were ‘demanding’ one thing during KTM factory visit
With nearly half the season down, attention may turn to 2026 for Binder if his performances fail to improve soon.
Fortunately, he’s under contract for next year, so he doesn’t have to worry about his future for the time being. He just needs to try new things to rediscover his confidence.
It may be part of the reason Binder was ‘demanding’ one thing from KTM after a factory visit led him to plead for more from his KTM colleagues.
With more upgrades, they might just about be able to challenge the front-running Ducati riders at some circuits, which would be a very encouraging development.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
