Marco Bezzecchi
KTM have been good at bringing subtle improvements to their MotoGP bike throughout the season in a bid to catch up to their competitors.
Pedro Acosta has been their standout rider by far, and is edging closer to a maiden premier class victory every weekend, it feels like. At the Indonesian Grand Prix, he produced an imperious defensive display to fend off his rivals and claim second place.
Teammate Brad Binder also managed his best result of the campaign, finishing fourth with a patient display, which nearly yielded a podium. Mandalika was just the second time this season that two KTM riders ended a Grand Prix in the top four.
Binder refuses to give technical details to journalists, which can make reading his situation a little difficult at times. After starting the last race weekend poorly, Binder’s setup changes helped KTM to really kick on Sunday afternoon. His experience was useful.
READ MORE: Brad Binder saved Marc Marquez from an ‘even worse’ injury with warning to Mandalika bosses
Pit Beirer ‘did not expect’ KTM chattering problems to hurt Brad Binder in 2025
Just a few weeks ago, Binder complained about a ‘very tricky’ issue, which left him battling to make the finish at the Japanese Grand Prix. Although he might not be comfortable on the RC16, his results have definitely improved in the second half of 2025.
It’s a trend that he’ll want to keep aiming in a positive direction heading into 2026, which is going to be a contract year for him. If he fails to deliver some impressive performances and stay close to teammate Acosta, he could find himself looking for a new team.
KTM boss Pit Beirer has mentioned how a chattering issue encountered by the team, which hurt Binder, caught them by surprise after showing some electric pace at the Misano test. They thought they had made a major breakthrough.
“We came to Misano with a whole series of very good results through Pedro, but also Enea. In Italy, we had tested extensively and achieved almost incredible lap times,” Beirer told Speedweek.
“That we would then have problems with chattering again – we did not expect that. Our experience and working methods aimed at consistency and that the motorcycle works the same under all conditions and on all routes.”
Brad Binder confirms that KTM are ‘missing’ some front grip
Looking at the results on paper, this season has been the most difficult in Binder’s career so far. He’s set to match his lowest finish in the riders’ standings of 11th, set in his rookie campaign.
His first foray into the premier class was back in 2020, and he also claimed a first victory just three races in, sparking a lot of excitement about his abilities.
But this year, he has struggled to do much of note. No podiums, not even in any sprint races, and a whole lot of struggle. When asked about his racing exploits by Motorsport.com, he revealed how hard things have been at times.
“The one thing that the guys are working on is to try and play with our chassis a little bit,” he said. “We’ve had a lot of chatter and are missing some front grip, so they’ve been playing with the stiffnesses and balances to try and make this problem a little bit less.
“I’ve tried to change my riding style for a while, and I can do it to an extent, but I need a little bit more front-end grip.
“If we can somehow find a balance between the front and the rear that is a bit more forgiving on the front end and we can get rid of our chatter problem, we would be in a very, very different situation right now.”
KTM’s financial predicament was less than ideal last winter. With some better preparation this time, the South African rider will be hoping that they’re better-placed to achieve some better results.
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