Marco Bezzecchi
Qualifying has been Brad Binder’s ‘Achilles heel’ for an ‘eternity’ in MotoGP, says Neil Hodgson, after the South African suffered another miserable weekend at the French Grand Prix.
Performance on Saturday has been a real issue for the KTM rider. Binder was beaten 22-0 by his teammate, Pedro Acosta, in 2025, and his form has not improved in 2026.
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Binder qualified 21st at the French Grand Prix, only beating Tech3 stand-in rider Jonas Folger. The South African did produce a superb result in the Sprint, finishing just off the podium in fourth.
However, on Sunday, he struggled to make up ground in the race before Binder crashed out in a fast accident at the Museum corner.
READ MORE: Everything to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife
Neil Hodgson says qualifying has been Brad Binder’s ‘Achilles heel’ for an ‘eternity’
Neil Hodgson has said qualifying is Binder’s ‘Achilles heel’ in the past, and it proved to be a problem for him again at the French GP.
Speaking via TNT Sports 2 during the race, Hodgson pointed out how it has been a huge issue for Binder for some time. Yet, the South African was showing the effort before he crashed out.
“Binder there, the bike pulling all sorts of shapes. These are the weird races, right?” he said.
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“So you’re in 14th place, you‘re Brad Binder, you’re working as hard as you can, you’re on the absolute limit, you’re only seven seconds behind the leader, and it’s almost like people don’t think you’re trying.
“It’s weird. You’re like, ‘Oh, what’s going on with Binder?’ It’s like, ‘I’m riding the wheels off the bike, I’m trying my best.’ Just a little bit everywhere from Brad.
“Obviously, we know it’s been qualifying that’s been his Achilles heel for what feels like an eternity, and these are long races, trying to be precise, not making any mistakes.”
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