Marco Bezzecchi
MotoGP commentator Neil Hodgson expressed his delight with Brad Binder during the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race, highlighting how good it was to see the South African battle amongst the front-running positions once again.
Binder is currently in the midst of his worst season in the premier class. He hasn’t scored a podium since the 2024 season opener, with his record in the current season putting him in 12th place in the riders’ standings.
KTM chief Aki Ajo detailed what Binder needs to do to turn around his season, and it looks like the 30-year-old has taken the advice on board with his latest performance at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Binder started the Sprint race from 11th on the grid, but wasted no time in making the most of the opportunities ahead of him, taking the chequered flag in fifth place.
The P5 finish is the South African’s best finishing position in any race so far in the current campaign, whilst KTM teammate Pedro Acosta secured his second consecutive Sprint podium at the team’s home race.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife
Neil Hodgson saw the ‘classic’ Brad Binder emerge in his battle with Enea Bastianini in the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race
During TNT Sports’ coverage of the Austrian Grand Prix Sprint race (14:13 16/08), commentators Neil Hodgson and Gavin Emmett were delighted to see Binder in the midst of a feisty battle with Enea Bastianini for fifth place.
“It’s so good to see Brad Binder here; this is where he belongs,” Hodgson said. “This is where we’ve always seen him in his MotoGP career. He’s never been slow, but this year it’s just not worked for him at all.”
Emmett recounted Binder’s woes with the KTM over the last two seasons, stating, “Yeah, he’s starting to have to ride that KTM a little bit differently, isn’t he? And it’s just taking a bit of time for him to get his head around that.”
Hodgson replied, “That said, he looks good now. But he doesn’t look like he’s changed his way of riding. It looks like classic Binder, right on the rear wheel of Fernandez, and surely he was going to attack there up into turn one.”
The Red Bull Ring has been one of Binder’s most successful circuits, with his win at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix being the site of his second and most recent win in the premier class. Binder also boasts a win at the circuit during his days in the Moto2 category in 2019.
READ MORE: Everything to know about KTM from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
Brad Binder will hope for more results like this to restore KTM’s confidence in him
As previously mentioned, Binder has been struggling to get to grips with the KTM bike since the start of last year’s MotoGP campaign.
The South African finished fifth in the standings last year, mainly down to his sheer consistency and resilience in staying within the top ten of the grid at the drop of the chequered flag.
However, KTM are ‘not at all satisfied’ with Binder’s performances this season. He hasn’t managed a top-five finish in a Grand Prix yet, but he’ll be taking a lot of positives from his performance in the Sprint in hopes of replicating it in Sunday’s Grand Prix.
In three words, Binder described 2025 as ‘challenging’, ‘frustrating’ and ‘hard’ when asked by TNT Sports prior to the winter break.
After coming back recharged and back to his ‘classic’ form, a strong finish to the season will set him up nicely for 2026.
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