Pedro Acosta feels his KTM team-mate Brad Binder has regained some of the “confidence” he lost after suffering the worst of his MotoGP career in the 2025 season.
binding He was the main leader of the works KTM From the start of Team MotoGP in 2020, to Acosta It moved to partner with Tech3 last year. Acosta finished fifth in the 2025 standings with 307 points and five Grand Prix podiums, while Binder was 11th.
It’s not that his rookie season has put Binder on the low end, and he failed to secure a Grand Prix podium in a single season for the first time in 2025 as a MotoGP rider. But Acosta feels the 2026 Binder has gained a lot of confidence after seeing him through the test.
Complete the sentence: In 2027, Brad Binder will…
Pedro Acosta feels Brad Binder has regained the ‘confidence’ he lost in 2025.
Binder believes he got a “significantly” better feel on KTM’s 2026 bike He hopes that will translate to race speed after testing. The 30-year-old’s fastest time at the Buriram test (1:29.392) was 0.371s worse than Acosta’s and his average race pace was 1.074s worse.
Read more: Everything you need to know about Brad Binder from career stats to wife
Acosta noted Binder’s focus on the KTM RC16 during pre-season testing this term. However, when the Spaniard saw the difference in the behavior of the South African rider in the garage, it became difficult to compare their data since they used different setups.
“Ultimately, I’m going my own way, but now I’m comparing myself to Brad,” Acosta said. Fast week. “He seems to have developed more confidence. He lost some last year.
I looked at his data, but we tried very different things during testing. So, it’s hard to compare in terms of tire handling.
Pedro Acosta feels that KTM will no longer ‘kill’ their tires in three laps.
Tell the order of the KTM riders in the 2026 MotoGP rankings
Acosta had the sixth fastest average lap time during the running simulations at the Buriram test last weekend, averaging 1:30.516. Binder’s average lap time was just shy of the race’s 1:31.590, the 17th-fastest effort and also the second-best time of Acosta.
The test at Buriram convinced Acosta that KTM had improved their tire management, although comparing his data with Binder’s was difficult due to their different configurations. Acosta felt he had “destroyed” his tires in three laps last year, but now he can maintain a good pace for 15.
Acosta added: “The entry is better, the bike is a little more stable, and the tires are not as stressed. Before, the tires were destroyed after three laps. Now we can ride 15 laps at a good speed.”
Receive competition news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
