Marco Bezzecchi
Another terrible outing over the weekend compounded Brad Binder’s disastrous French Grand Prix weekend.
Binder finished second-last in qualifying on Saturday, along with a 12th-place finish in the sprint race. And on race day, Binder crashed out of the race, marking a terrible weekend for the KTM rider.
Couple this with KTM signing Fabio Di Giannantonio for 2027, Binder will have almost no reason to look back on the weekend at Le Mans fondly.
Rate KTM’s move for Fabio Di Giannantonio out of 10!
As things stand, Binder doesn’t have a seat for 2027. And with several teams working quickly to secure their rider pairing for the upcoming season, he might not find one in time.
And perhaps it was this reality setting in that led to Binder looking completely dejected during the French Grand Prix weekend.
READ MORE: KTM boss Pit Beirer hails ‘top-notch’ Brad Binder performance at Spanish Grand Prix
Brad Binder looked ‘defeated’ after French GP as his MotoGP future reaches ‘critical juncture’
Speaking on the Paddock Pass podcast, Neil Morrison was asked to name his biggest disappointment from the French Grand Prix.
Morrison pointed to Brad Binder, saying that the rider looked ‘defeated’ after yet another difficult race weekend, and expressed how important the remaining races in the season are for his future.
“It pains me to do this because I like him so much and he’s such a nice guy. It really is a case of kicking a man when he’s down because of his whole body language all weekend.
“It looked like Brad Binder was a man defeated here at Le Mans. We know that the KTM isn’t the most competitive package on the grid. Pedro Acosta was having to do something very special to be up there fighting towards the podium positions.
“But Binder, an awful qualifying again. Not a good time in the sprint. He crashed out of the race when he was 14th. And this is a really important section of the season where contracts are being decided for 2027 and beyond.
“Brad desperately needs some good performances and they’re just not coming at this really critical juncture. I worry about him as a future MotoGP rider, because the results just aren’t arriving when they need to.”
READ MORE: Neil Hodgson says Brad Binder must fix his MotoGP ‘Achilles heel’ or risk losing his seat for 2027
Will Brad Binder be on the MotoGP grid in 2027?
Fabio Di Giannantonio signing puts impetus on Brad Binder to turn form around
With a return to KTM in 2027 now ruled out in the aftermath of Di Giannantonio’s expected arrival, Binder must now find a new team to ride for next year.
KTM approaching Tech3 for a satellite team role could give Binder a lifeline, as Pit Beirer and other KTM officials hold the South African in high regard.
Trackhouse have also been linked to Binder, especially with Davide Brivio set to depart the team to join Honda next year, creating a leadership vacuum that could benefit Binder.
At this point in the season, Brad Binder needs to find a way to string some strong results together to convince a team to take a chance on him next season.
Otherwise, he risks losing his spot on the MotoGP grid heading into what promises to be a game-changing season.
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