Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder endured a difficult first campaign alongside superstar KTM rider Pedro Acosta in 2025.
He failed to beat him in any qualifying session and ended up with nearly half the Spaniard’s tally of points in the MotoGP standings.
It was actually a bit of a surprise to see one of the grid’s most consistent riders struggle so much on a regular basis. KTM had no answers for it, either.
Binder is under contract for another 12 months, and with a difficult 2026, could be subject to the MotoGP rider market for the following year.
Which three riders are under the most PRESSURE heading into 2026? 🥵
Binder thinks his new crew chief is ‘really cool’, having taken Toprak Razgatlioglu’s ex-partner in crime, Phil Marron, from him.
On an even more positive note, Binder could ‘really feel’ both tyres on his KTM at the post-season test in Valencia, and it has been a while since he felt those sorts of sensations on his bike.
READ MORE: Pedro Acosta says KTM teammate Brad Binder has made him a better MotoGP rider
Phil Marron could help Brad Binder escape a ‘big hole’ at KTM in 2026
KTM gave Binder an ‘extreme’ upgrade in Valencia, after working in partnership with Red Bull’s Formula 1 team on a new fairing.
There were a few options for their riders to choose from, but the extreme solution turned out to be the one that impressed the most. It might help with Binder’s lingering rear tyre woes.
It’s something that has been holding him back for some time now, and Mat Oxley has suggested that new crew chief Marron could help him escape the ‘big hole’.
Will Brad Binder still be a KTM rider in 2027?
“At the end of the year, somebody asked him [Binder], out of 10, what score do you give yourself this season? He said three out of 10,” he said on the Oxley Bom Podcast.
“I think he had a grim old time. Basically, Binder has been completely screwed since the new tyre came in. The new rear tyre came in last year.
“He just can’t get the corner entries, it’s overpowering the front. He’s just at a bit of a loss, ever since. He was pretty fast in 2023,” he continued.
“Since 2024, he has been in a big hole, and that’s one reason why they have brought Phil Marron, Toprak’s old crew chief, to help him next year. Who knows whether he’ll be able to. Just a really, really tough season for Brad.”
READ MORE: MotoGP fans predict Brad Binder’s future after 2026 with new KTM deal uncertain
How Brad Binder showed some encouraging signs at the end of the 2025 MotoGP season
It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Binder at the end of 2025, who finished ninth or higher in each of the last five Grands Prix.
Finishing 11th place on the season was about where he deserved to be, with riders below him in the championship (Johann Zarco and Joan Mir) managing to score multiple podiums, while he had none.
One positive is that he finished every race on a Sunday in the points, so he hasn’t quite faced the same level of struggle as someone like Francesco Bagnaia has.
But there’s still a lot of room for improvement in the future. It’ll give Binder a better chance of staying with KTM in the future.
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