Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder’s Q2 exit at the 2025 MotoGP season-closer cemented Pedro Acosta’s clean sweep of him in the KTM qualifying head-to-head, and Neil Hodgson has delivered a brutal verdict on the South African’s career.
With the final round of the season now upon us, not many riders are awaiting the end of the season more than Brad Binder.
The 30-year-old is currently experiencing one of the toughest seasons of his MotoGP career with KTM in 2025, and is one race away from finishing his first season without a top-three Grand Prix finish.
It has caused Binder’s future in MotoGP to be thrown into question. KTM no longer feel like the South African is as dependable as he once was, and both parties are reportedly going through ‘uncomfortable’ talks over his position at the team.
Binder is contracted to KTM until the end of 2026 and has spent the majority of his Grand Prix motorcycle racing career at the Austrian constructor. His ride is safe for now, but what happens to him upon the expiration of his deal remains to be seen.
Neil Hodgson describes Brad Binder’s poor one-lap pace in 2025 as the ‘story of his MotoGP career’
Speaking on TNT Sports’ coverage of the final pre-practice qualifying session of 2025 at the Valencia Grand Prix, commentators Gavin Emmett and Neil Hodgson shared their disappointment with the KTM rider as he looked set for a trip to Q1 on Saturday morning.
Emmett started, saying, “Brad Binder, the story of his year, again, has been the qualifying, hasn’t it? That one lap pace.”
Hodgson agreed, before adding, “It’s been the story of his MotoGP career, really. His race pace has always been impressive; he always goes forward.”
Emmett then recalled the recent race results for Binder in comparison to where he started on the grid, which highlight the difficulties that he has experienced in the Saturday morning shootouts.
He said, “Up to fifth in Portugal, up to fourth in Indonesia. Eighth and ninth in Australia and Malaysia, and amongst all of them, 15th, 14th, 18th and 19th is where he qualified.”
Binder’s high-flying teammate, Pedro Acosta, was then brought up as Hodgson detailed how stellar it makes the Spaniard’s performances in the current campaign, saying, “You look at the lap he’s just done, it looked fast. But he’s a second off his teammate.
“That’s the bit where you’re like, what? It just shows how good Pedro is at extracting the most out of that KTM package.”
Binder pinpointed Acosta’s impressive adaptability as an attribute that he needs to add to his skillset. The South African has suffered from several issues with his KTM bike throughout 2025, and has failed to get total control of them as the season has ensued.
READ MORE: KTM boss Aki Ajo tells Brad Binder what ‘he needs’ to see amid questions about MotoGP future
Pedro Acosta doesn’t see qualifying as one of his strong suits after demolishing Brad Binder in the KTM teammate battle
Acosta arrived in MotoGP last year off the back of his title-winning Moto2 season in the year prior, and secured his maiden pole position in the premier class at the Japanese Grand Prix.
Now in his sophomore campaign, the Murcian native has continued to impress, showcasing exactly why he has the potential to be a world champion in the near future.
Acosta isn’t convinced that KTM can deliver him a title, but given his contract with the Austrian constructor currently ties him down until the end of the 2026 season, he has no choice but to make the most of his tenure at the team.
It’s no secret that he has been significantly overachieving atop KTM’s sub-optimal RC16 in 2025. Despite not clinching a maiden win in MotoGP yet, the Murcian rider’s consistent performances under racing conditions have seen him emerge as a candidate for the third spot in the standings.
This is a sentiment that is shared by the rider himself, who admitted that qualifying isn’t his ‘greatest strength’. Acosta still thinks he needs to improve his one-lap pace to be able to cement himself as a top contender in the premier class.
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