Marco Bezzecchi
Enea Bastianini is now working with a third different crew chief in the past year, after Andres Madrid joined Tech3 after KTM hired Phil Marron to work beside Brad Binder.
Madrid had worked with Binder for the past decade, yet KTM felt it was time to have a fresh voice supporting the South African after the worst season of his MotoGP career to date. The 30-year-old fell to 11th in the riders’ standings after his first podium-less premier class term.
Marron now works as Binder’s crew chief at KTM, after agreeing to return to MotoGP after a decade in the World Superbike Championship. The Northern Irishman had supported Toprak Razgatlioglu since 2019 and helped the new Pramac MotoGP rider win his three WSBK titles.
KTM kept Madrid within their stable by moving him to Tech3 to work with Bastianini in their satellite team. Bastianini had started the 2025 season with Alberto Giribuola by his side, but he left Tech3 mid-way through last year after agreeing to work with Razgatlioglu from 2026.
Predict the order of the KTM riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
Enea Bastianini likes the ‘positive energy’ Andres Madrid brings to Tech3 as his crew chief
Bastianini insisted that Giribuola left Tech3 early if he did not plan on supporting the Italian in 2026. Xavi Palacin took over as the 28-year-old’s interim crew chief, before Madrid joined following the conclusion of the 2025 season as Marron started working with Binder at KTM.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Enea Bastianini from net worth to career stats
The 2026 Sepang test is now offering Bastianini and Madrid a better chance to start building a bond, and the Tech3 ace is “satisfied” with the initial indications. Bastianini especially liked that Madrid was bringing a “positive energy” to the Tech3 garage on the first day of the test.
Bastianini said, via GPOne: “I think it’s always a bit complicated at the beginning, because we don’t know each other well. But I think we did a good job today.
“I saw him smile during the session, which means he was happy with the work we did, and we also joked around a lot in the pits to bring some positive energy to the team.
“Today was a good day, and I think he’s someone who can help me in the future because he understands what I need, more or less. The first races will certainly confirm this. I’m satisfied with Andres.”
KTM felt Brad Binder needed a change after a decade working with Andres Madrid
Day 2 is now in the books! Are there any surprises in the timings from today? 🤔
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Madrid was a valuable asset at Binder’s side, having helped him rise through the classes and win the 2016 Moto3 title before competing for the Moto2 crown in 2018 and 2019. Binder’s MotoGP debut and maiden win in 2020 with the KTM team also came with Madrid’s advice.
But Binder admits that 2025 was the “toughest year” he has ever had in motorcycle racing, and KTM believed it was time for a change. Now, Bastianini will hope Madrid can help him during the Italian’s second season on the RC16, after showing flashes of potential last term.
Only factory KTM rider Pedro Acosta and Tech3 star Bastianini scored podiums on the RC16 in 2025, with the former sealing five and the latter only one. But Bastianini finished 2025 as the third-highest scoring KTM rider behind Acosta (307) and Binder (155) with 112 points.
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