Brad Binder is a two-time Grand Prix winner in the premier class and has double figures for the stage. But ahead of what will be his final season, he looks back on his career with some regret.
Binder was the Moto3 champion in 2016 and finished twice in Moto2 before reaching the top. Binder won in a memorable way in his third start In Czech GP.
As he reflected on that Bron victory last year, Binder thought the work would turn out differently.
Was Brad Binder’s MotoGP career better or worse than you expected?
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This week a report suggested 2026 could be Binder’s last year.. It will be his seventh season with the KTM factory team.
Brad Binder has ‘never qualified’ in MotoGP.
Binder’s streak of four top six finishes ended in 2025. In fact, he slipped out of the top 10 for the first time since his rookie season.
The South African did not score a single podium in either format, while teammate Pedro Acosta scored 12 goals. Acosta also dressed with lime in the filtera somewhat embarrassing statistic for an experienced driver.
While binding The weakness of the other RC16 riders – Inea Bastianini and the injured Maverick Vinales – on Saturday made it difficult to achieve truly eye-catching results on Sunday.
Should MotoGP implement David Brivio’s proposal for a new qualifying format?
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In an interview with CrashBinder admits that this is a long-term problem.
“I’ve never been a big qualifier, that’s for sure,” he said. “But this year, he’s moved more than ever to qualify.
“The biggest thing for me is that whenever I go for a big effort, that’s when my problems come out. I have to find a way to be faster while riding ‘low g.’
“Those two things are a little bit at odds with each other, and that’s what I’ve been struggling with.”
When asked if the rules should be changed to allow many riders to move from Q1 to Q2, he said: “It’s something you have to fight for. At the end of the day, that’s the format.”
“Now you have to try and make it work to your advantage. It’s not working in mine so we have to try to make it work somehow.”
Brad Binder’s performance against his MotoGP teammates
Binder was pulled 16 times in Q1. Last year he was second on the grid behind Miguel Oliveira. Oliveira (17 exits) lost his seat at the end of the year, as did Somkiat Chantra (also 16).
Binder won one round at a time on KTM in both seasons, while his battles with Oliveira in 2021 and 2022 have been similar. He lost to Pol Espargaro as a rookie.
After a long partnership with Andres Madrid, Binder is working with Phil Marrone.Toprak Razgatlioglu, former World Superbike team leader, in 2026.
