Mat Oxley thinks Brad Binder was ‘spectacular’ at Austrian Grand Prix for reason out of his control

Add as preferred source on Google

Mat Oxley has shared a theory for why Brad Binder was “revitalised” at the Red Bull Ring, after the KTM racer finished the Sprint in P5 and the Austrian Grand Prix in P7.

More may even have been possible for the 30-year-old last Sunday, as he came home as the third-best KTM rider and was only 0.344 seconds behind Honda pilot Joan Mir in P6. Factory teammate Pedro Acosta took P4 in the Austrian GP, while Tech3 ace Enea Bastianini took P5.

Acosta hit the chequered flag 1.867s ahead of Bastianini and 3.612s clear of Binder, who he also finished 1.656s ahead of to secure P3 in Saturday’s Sprint at the Austrian GP. Bastianini bagged P7 in the Sprint, as he carried Tech3 after Maverick Vinales withdrew due to injury.

Contact with Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez damaged Binder’s front wing in the Austrian GP, as well, after the 24-year-old forced the South African off the circuit at the final corner trying to take P5. The incident demoted Binder to P9, and it also left him with instability problems.

Mat Oxley thinks Michelin’s Red Bull Ring-specific rear tyre ‘revitalised’ Brad Binder

Without the damage due to Fernandez’s aggressive attempted overtake, which broke half of Binder’s front wing off, the South African potentially might have scored his best result so far in the 2025 MotoGP season. His best result thus far is P6 in the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife

And Oxley believes Michelin providing its Red Bull Ring-specific rear tyre played a big role in Binder, as well as Bastianini, performing well at the Austrian GP. Michelin only takes the tyre to the races it believes need a special heat-resistant rear slick carcass, which is less grippy.

Oxley told Motor Sport Magazine: “Fellow RC16 riders Enea Bastianini and Brad Binder were revitalised, taking their best results so far this year in fifth and seventh.

“Both were spectacular to watch, backing into corners much more than usual – Binder’s preferred style – because the less grippy rear tyre allowed them to do this.”

Michelin’s heat-resistant rear tyre has a harder construction and also gives less grip than the French manufacturer’s normal rear slick. Michelin created its special tyre to help control the stresses and excessive heat created during acceleration, and give consistent performance.

Michelin’s Red Bull Ring-specific rear tyre helped Brad Binder, but hurt Yamaha

Binder certainly enjoyed himself at the Red Bull Ring, with his P5 in the Sprint and P7 in the Austrian GP. The South African had only finished higher than P8 during one of the previous 12 Sprint Races this season, with his P6 in the Sprint Race at the German Grand Prix in July.

But it will not comfort Binder to know that he can still extract the most from the KTM RC16 with a tyre that Michelin only brings to certain races on the MotoGP calendar. It is also out of his control to decide what races Michelin brings its Red Bull Ring-specific rear slick tyre.

READ MORE: Everything to know about KTM from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy

And while Oxley theorises that Binder benefitted from Michelin’s heat-resistant rear slick at the Austrian GP, the rubber did not help Yamaha at all. The Iwata squad occupied all four of the final places in the race with Fabio Quartararo, Alex Rins, Jack Miller and Miguel Oliveira.

Michelin’s heat-resistant rear slick tyre and the Yamaha YZR-M1 did not suit each other last weekend, which was “quite clear” for Pramac pilot Miller. The Australian could not find grip with Michelin’s Red Bull Ring-specific tyre, no matter what he tried to control the wheelspin.

Miller, who was Binder’s works KTM teammate in the previous two campaigns, finished the Austrian GP dead last in P18 and 37.478s off the lead. The 30-year-old was also 27.002s shy of Binder in P7, and even 12.222s adrift of Quartararo as the lead Yamaha rider in only P15.