Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder has been replaced as the king of KTM during the 2025 MotoGP season, as Pedro Acosta has taken over the Austrian crew after stepping up to their factory team.
The Munderfing-based squad have valued Binder throughout his premier class career so far, having given the 30-year-old his MotoGP debut in the 2020 season. Yet Acosta has become the top dog in the KTM ranks since stepping up from Tech3 to replace Jack Miller in 2025.
Acosta arrived for the Portuguese Grand Prix in the penultimate round of 2025 sitting fifth in the riders’ standings on 260 points. He can even finish the term in the top three, with Aprilia ace Marco Bezzecchi and Francesco Bagnaia of Ducati 31 and 26 points ahead respectively.
Binder only sits 12th in the championship with two Grand Prix and two Sprint races to go in 2025. The South African has only scored 133 points through the first 20 rounds and is yet to stand on a podium. Acosta has four Grand Prix podiums and five Sprint rostrums in his tally.
KTM boss Aki Ajo tells Brad Binder to improve his consistency in races
Acosta has beaten Binder 20-0 in qualifying in 2025, as well, but KTM team manager Aki Ajo thinks the latter needs to improve his consistency in the races above all. Binder has finished on average in P8.7 from his 16 Grand Prix results, compared to Acosta’s P6.4 from 16 races.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife
Binder has also only scored one top-five finish, from his P4 in the Indonesian Grand Prix, and 12 top-10 results this term. Acosta has nine top-five finishes and 14 top-10s, with P19 in the Thai Grand Prix and P17 in the Japanese Grand Prix taking the 21-year-old’s average down.
Ajo told TNT Sports 2 (7/11, 15:34): “With Brad, he needs the consistency in the races. And I think it’s coming, step by step. It’s not magic to do a big step too quick. We just continue the same way, let’s say. That consistency for the work, it normally brings a good Sunday.”
Brad Binder must improve his consistency to show KTM he deserves a new contract
Binder took four of his 12 top-10 results this year during the past five rounds in San Marino (P10), Japan (P12), Indonesia (P4), Australia (P8) and Malaysia (P9). But he was still 23.109s from the lead at Misano, 23.882s at Motegi, 12.270s at Phillip Island and 18.932 at Sepang.
His only highlight from that period came at Mandalika, when he finished 8.901s off the lead and just 1.914s behind Acosta in P2. And while Binder was the top KTM at Misano, Acosta plus Tech3 duo Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini all failed to finish the San Marino GP.
Now, Binder’s plight compared to Acosta’s flurry of podiums with KTM has left the former’s future in doubt. It is said that KTM could release Binder after the 2026 MotoGP season, as the Austrian outfit no longer feel the South African is the reliable product they once knew.
Binder is currently set to be out of contract with KTM following the conclusion of the 2026 MotoGP season. All four KTM riders are in the same situation, as the Austrian outfit gifted each of Acosta, Vinales and Bastianini two-year contracts starting from the 2025 campaign.
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