Marco Bezzecchi
Lining up 15th on the grid, it would have been easy for Brad Binder to give up before the Indonesian Grand Prix had even started.
The South African rider finished 10th in Saturday’s sprint and failed to secure any points for KTM, while his teammate continues to perform impressively. 2025 has been his most difficult season in MotoGP to date, but the tide might have just turned.
Binder hadn’t finished higher than sixth this season before arriving at the Indonesian Grand Prix, and has lost a little pace lately. In fact, he hadn’t finished higher than 10th in his last three starts, outlining a lack of pace and confidence in his bike.
After suffering from a chatter issue at Motegi, Binder was left ‘finished’ and had no rear tyre left to use by the end of the Grand Prix. That came days after Binder ‘grinned’ at a KTM upgrade which had shown promise, but failed to deliver as the event went on.
READ MORE: Brad Binder’s biggest problem at KTM is obvious as he lags behind MotoGP rookies in vital area
Brad Binder kept patient at the Indonesian Grand Prix after ‘very tricky’ sprint race
After a mechanical issue a few races ago, Binder came to the defence of KTM and showed how much he cares about the team that gave him his first opportunity in the premier class. Fortunately, he’s under contract for 2026 currently, otherwise his future may have been at threat.
There has been a noticeable drop-off compared to the last few seasons, but that hasn’t been aided by the team’s financial predicament, which worsened over the winter and would have had some sort of effect on the development of their bike.
On Sunday in Mandalika, he remained patient and waited for his rivals to make mistakes, rather than try and force any moves which could have got him into trouble. The fourth place he managed is now his best result of the season, and came just 24 hours after a ‘really tricky’ admission about his weekend.
“A really tricky weekend so far in general,” he told KTM’s website. “I tried my best to recover some positions and had a great start, but then, as the tyre started to drop, I struggled more. We’ll try again tomorrow.
“The medium tyre will be better for the long run. It should be pretty good. We just need to try and figure out how to make more time at this track by flowing a bit more.”
He found his flow and struggled less in the longer format, and must have managed to ‘figure’ something out overnight. Now, he’ll be looking to build on the momentum he has built in Phillip Island at the next race.
Why Brad Binder will be optimistic ahead of the Australian Grand Prix
Riders now have a two-week break before returning to action at the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island, which is a favourite destination of many current riders.
A picturesque backdrop and an excellent track make for some exciting action, and with championship-winner Marc Marquez set to be sidelined, the fight for victory will be wide open.
If Binder, who has never finished lower than 10th in Australia, can find a way to be fast on Saturday, he’ll save himself a lot of work on Sunday and be in contention for a first win in four years.
It may be a similar case to Indonesia if his rivals continue to get caught up with each other. He has shown that keeping patient can yield good results, and that’s how his experience comes to hand.
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