Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder goes into the winter break knowing he has to find a response to his worst season since 2020, otherwise he risks KTM saying goodbye at the end of his contract.
The 30-year-old has spent his entire MotoGP career so far with KTM, having made his debut riding for the Austrian brand in 2020. But Binder has consistently struggled since the start of 2024 when Michelin first brought its latest super-grippy rear slick tyre to the premier class.
Binder especially faced a frustrating campaign in the 2025 MotoGP season, as Pedro Acosta cast a shadow over the South African after joining him in the factory KTM team. Acosta beat Binder in all 22 qualifying sessions in 2025 and sealed P4 in the standings, compared to P11.
Acosta also outscored Binder with 307 to 155 points this year, along with sealing five Grand Prix podiums instead of zero. The 2025 season marks the first time that Binder has failed to achieve at least one podium in his MotoGP career, and his future is now at risk next season.
Pit Beirer expects higher cornering speeds under MotoGP’s 2027 engine regulations
MotoGP News’ readers expect Binder will stay at KTM in 2027, with 58.2% of the votes from our recent TalkingPoints poll predicting he will earn a new contract. Yet Binder is the subject of uncomfortable talks at KTM, as bosses in Munderfing no longer feel they can rely on him.
READ MORE: Everything to know about KTM from the MotoGP team’s riders to hierarchy
KTM boss Pit Beirer on Brad Binder’s crew chief change
But Binder may not be too eager to stay at KTM beyond his contract for 2026 once he hears what motor sport director Pit Beirer has said about the 2027 MotoGP regulations. The KTM boss admits the reduction in engine size to 850cc will put bikes in a range where they crash.
“Basically, the big argument for a reduction in engine capacity [from 1,000cc to 850cc] was safety concerns,” Beirer told Motor Sport Magazine. “But we know that corner speeds will be higher, and this is where we crash.”
Brad Binder frequently crashed due to KTM’s chatter problems during the 2025 season
Beirer’s prediction for the 2027 MotoGP regulations may not fill Binder with too much hope for what a future with KTM would look like in the next era. Binder crashed 17 times through the 2025 season, which marked the joint-eight-most, level with Gresini ace Fermin Aldeguer.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife
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Acosta crashed the most often among the four KTM stable riders during the 2025 campaign with 21 falls across all 22 rounds. Tech3 rider Enea Bastianini recorded 15 crashes aboard his KTM RC16, while teammate Maverick Vinales only crashed five times but across 17 rounds.
Binder felt he was “lucky” not to crash in the Qatar GP due to KTM’s chatter problems, as he frequently lost the front end of his RC16 during the race at Lusail in April. The South African also felt he had the “strangest crash” of his career during the Sprint at the French GP in May.
After fighting his KTM stablemates Acosta and Vinales at Le Mans, Binder crashed on Lap 4 of the Sprint when he was flicked off his RC16 at Turn 9. Binder felt the rear of his KTM start to come round while he tried to pick the front up while attacking the corner after locking up.
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