Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder knows that time is running out to save his MotoGP career. He has to make a good impression this year.
The South African rider has one of his most difficult spells in the premier class yet and was comprehensively beaten by Pedro Acosta in 2025.
To have a seat at a factory team like KTM, he’s aware that he has to deliver more than he has given over the last 12 months.
Otherwise, Binder risks becoming a part of the MotoGP rider market melee and could find himself somewhere like Tech3, or even off the grid, not long from now.
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KTM are open to replacing Binder with ‘young talent’, which puts him under even more pressure this season, knowing that there are replacements waiting in the wings.
However, the key change that the 30-year-old wants to make this year is a mental one. Binder wants to ‘enjoy riding’ again, which hasn’t always been the case for him recently.
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After reflecting on 2025, Binder wishes KTM would improve their acceleration, as that’s the main area he struggled with last year.
Speaking to GPOne, he revealed how the team’s 2027 bike, currently being prepared for the new regulations, is coming along.
“I’ve been asking around to see how it’s going, and so far, it seems to be great and quite impressive, to be honest,” he said. “But as a rider, I’m solely focused on 2026.
“The guys know what they’re doing, they know how to develop the bike, and they’ll give us the best package possible.
“I just have to focus on riding, and my hope is to end this year having had a great season, my best so far, and then I’ll worry about 2027 when the time comes.”
READ MORE: Brad Binder believes KTM have ‘fixed’ the problem that cost him ‘a lot’ of confidence in 2025
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Although Binder knows he has a ‘clear’ weakness in qualifying, it’s an area that he’s going to have to improve in if he wants to keep his seat.
Teammate Acosta outqualified him in every single session last year, completing a clean sweep against his more experienced rival.
Not only is that humiliating, but it shows how far Binder is from exploring the limit of his bike. It goes beyond where he’s capable of putting it right now.
So expect to see a more aggressive and feisty version of him in 2026, pushing the limits a little more in pursuit of more one-lap speed.
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