Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder had one of his best races of the season at the Portugal Grand Prix as he managed to finish fifth for KTM.
He made use of an electric start and had solid pace from there, proving that he had the pace to keep up at the front. Teammate Pedro Acosta reached the podium once more, but Binder only finished two places behind him, which is a strong return.
Right at the end of the MotoGP campaign, KTM are managing to put their terrific straight-line speed to use, and their riders are getting more and more comfortable with the RC16. Being in contention for podiums at every race is a promising sign for the future.
Binder is in ‘uncomfortable’ talks with KTM, who no longer feel that he is as dependable or consistent on their bike as he has been in the past few seasons. KTM think Binder needs more consistency, but that might be hard to find without much confidence.
READ MORE: KTM boss just set Brad Binder a ‘crucial’ target as he fights for his MotoGP future
Brad Binder felt ‘almost nothing’ during Fermin Aldeguer clash at the Portugal Grand Prix
Binder could be a victim of KTM ‘dismissals’ if the racing division also gets roped into making cost cuts of up to 50%. They struggled financially last winter, and it showed when the team hit the track at the start of this season.
It was so bad that Acosta was urged to leave KTM, and it’s likely that his talents will command a position at a top manufacturer for 2027. He’s set to be one of the main players in the MotoGP rider market over the next few months, despite being one of the few winless candidates on the grid.
Some might argue that managing to finish in the top four of the MotoGP standings indicates that Acosta’s bike can’t have been that bad. The same goes for Binder, but with the level of experience and talent they have, they will have made up for their bikes’ shortfalls across the campaign.
Midway through the Portugal Grand Prix, Fermin Aldeguer tried an aggressive overtake on Binder, which left him with damage. He told SPEEDWEEK about the matter after the race.
“Honestly, I felt almost nothing, but I heard when the rear wing broke off on the side,” he said. “Something like that happens. I had a little less support at the back in the delay phase, but I got along with it.”
READ MORE: Brad Binder admits Pedro Acosta has shown him one ability he ‘for sure’ must improve
Why Brad Binder will be relieved to say goodbye to 2025
Binder is now less than a week away from being able to almost forget about what has been a very frustrating 2025 season at times.
At the season finale, if he can outscore Trackhouse’s Raul Fernandez by one point, he has a chance of finishing in the top 10 of the standings.
Either way, he’ll be registering his worst finish since his rookie campaign, when he also finished in 11th place, albeit with a win to show for his efforts.
2026 is an important year for Binder, and if he wants to prove that he deserves a spot on the grid, he’s going to need a few magic performances.
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