Marco Bezzecchi
Brad Binder is looking at having an uncomfortable farewell tour with KTM in the 2026 MotoGP season, as the Austrian squad no longer see the South African in their future.
The 30-year-old was the figurehead of the factory KTM team from his MotoGP debut back in 2020 up until the start of the 2025 season. But Pedro Acosta left Binder in his shadow last year, causing doubts to grow among the KTM hierarchy about retaining the latter long-term.
Acosta beat Binder in each qualifying session in 2025 after joining the factory KTM team. He also sealed fourth place in the riders’ standings with 307 points and five Grand Prix podiums last year, whereas Binder ranked 11th with 155 points in his first-ever podiumless campaign.
Such were his woes last year that KTM began discussing Binder’s future ahead of the winter break, as he is due to be out of contract after the 2026 season. And it seems that KTM have decided to release Binder before he has even turned a wheel in anger on the RC16 this year.
Finish the sentence: In 2027, Brad Binder will be racing for …
Brad Binder knows his time in the factory KTM team will end in 2026
That is according to MotoMatters, which reports that most, if not all, of the factory MotoGP teams intend to finalise their 2027 rider line-ups prior to the first round of 2026 in Thailand. And Binder is due to be one of the riders who will see out 2026 knowing they are unwanted.
READ MORE: The best moments of Brad Binder’s MotoGP career
KTM rider Binder, Ducati’s two-time MotoGP champion Francesco Bagnaia and Yamaha pilot Alex Rins are three of the riders who are already aware they are ‘surplus to requirements’ at their teams. But that list is likely to expand, despite the 2026 season only starting this week.
Binder, Bagnaia and Rins will each now have to contest the 22 rounds on the 2026 MotoGP calendar riding for teams who have already opted to sign replacements. All three are out of contract at the end of 2026, and only one seems to have found a new home for 2027 so far.
KTM could demote Brad Binder to Tech3 for 2027
Predict the order of the KTM riders in the 2026 MotoGP standings
It is now said that Bagnaia has agreed to join Aprilia on a four-year contract from 2027 after Ducati chose to pursue a deal for KTM rider Acosta to take his seat in Borgo Panigale. Acosta is also out of contract at the end of 2026, but his exit does not appear like it will help Binder.
While motorsport director Pit Beirer stated that KTM “want to keep” Binder in 2027 – along with their other factory-contracted riders Acosta and Tech3 duo Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini – in December, it appears that Binder may have to accept a demotion to stay put.
Reports have also suggested that KTM have already told Vinales that he will join their works MotoGP team in 2027, when they could run an all-new, all-Spanish line-up. As well as giving Vinales a promotion from Tech3, KTM are expected to sign Gresini’s Alex Marquez for 2027.
With Marquez and Vinales moving to the factory team, KTM are considering moving Binder to Tech3 for 2027 to keep him in the family. KTM are said to think Binder could be a mentor for a young talent like Daniel Holgado, who is one of the favourites for the 2026 Moto2 title.
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