Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder is feeling optimistic ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season, as the KTM rider looks to bounce back after enduring his worst campaign in the premier class to date.
The 30-year-old contested his sixth term in the premier class last year, but he hit new lows while Pedro Acosta became KTM’s new jewel in 2025 after joining their factory team. Binder failed to get a single Grand Prix podium in a season for the first time, while Acosta took five.
KTM even saw Binder finish the 2025 MotoGP season only 11th in the riders’ standings with 155 points, as the second-best KTM ace, whereas Acosta ranked fourth with 307 points. The South African had not finished as lowly in the standings since he debuted with KTM in 2020.
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Brad Binder thinks KTM have fixed the problem that made him ‘cautious’ on the front end
Binder believes he will be in a “different world” when his qualifying form improves, but the KTM RC16 also held him back last year. The two-time MotoGP Grand Prix winner admits he lost “a lot of confidence” during the 2025 season owing to how easily he lost the front end.
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Whenever Binder tried to push in 2025, he felt the front of the KTM RC16 start to get away from him and cause him to crash. However, the Potchefstroom native is encouraged by the progress that KTM have made, which could let him start to build his speed up again in 2026.
“I think first of all, I was crashing a lot, losing the front a lot,” Binder told Crash. “So, I lost a lot of confidence in the front end of the bike.
“That made me always really cautious on the front end. Because as soon as I tried to give some effort, I lost the front and went down, which was quite frustrating.
“But we seem to have fixed that problem a little bit. We’ve made the front a lot more solid now, and I feel like I can push on a lot better. But now it’s building that speed back again.”
Brad Binder must bounce back in 2026 to save his MotoGP future with KTM
Binder could “really feel” both tyres for the first time in ages during the Valencia test after a productive end to 2025 as KTM trialled a host of ideas. KTM experimenting with a narrower seat unit and a different aero package particularly helped Binder to find a stronger balance.
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The South African will know that he now has to use the progress that KTM made with their RC16 in 2025 during the 2026 season to save his future at the MotoGP outfit. Pit Beirer has confirmed that KTM “want to keep” Binder, but his contract is due to expire this December.
If Binder has another season like he did in 2025, then KTM will need to consider his future with the brand. So, if KTM have indeed found a fix for the problem that caused him to lose confidence in the front end of the RC16 in 2025, then Binder needs to take full advantage.
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