- Brad Binder continues to find his groove this MotoGP season and will be aiming to give it his all at the Spanish MotoGP at the Circuit de Jerez this weekend.
- Binder’s seventh-place finish at the season-opening Thai GP remains his best result so far, following a DNF in Brazil and a 12th-place finish in the USA.
- After three outings, the 30-year-old has collected just 17 points heading into the fourth round, sitting in 12th place overall.
Brad Binder is still searching for his rhythm in the 2026 MotoGP season, and he will be looking to pour all his effort into the fourth outing at the Spanish MotoGP at the Circuit de Jerez.
The South African international kicked off the campaign on a promising foot, snagging seventh place at the Thailand Grand Prix, but he hit a snag in the second round in Brazil, where the Ayrton Senna circuit proved rough on his tires and he wound up with a DNF.
At the end of March, Binder rode on high hopes at the USA GP, yet he still could not get the proper grip he wanted, finishing 12th a spot he vowed to escape three weeks ago.
“A really long race, and I just couldn’t find any pace all weekend. I had chatter at the beginning and it got worse, especially on full lean. I wasn’t expecting that. Two 12th places is nowhere near good enough. We have some serious homework to do to be better for Jerez,” he said.
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The three outings have seen the 30-year-old rack up just 17 points heading into this fourth round, sitting in 12th place.
Friday morning’s Practice 1 session saw the Red Bull KTM rider not get much going his way after coming 12th, while his counterpart Pedro Acosta also managed only eighth place.
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Phil Marron identifies key areas Brad Binder must improve to deliver results
This performance comes just after Brad Binder’s new crew chief for 2026, Phil Marron, keeps the faith in him but still needs improvement in certain areas that is including cornering consistency and qualifying chances.
“We’ve only had three events, I can’t say yet. I can’t pinpoint one thing,” Marron told Speedweek a few days ago.
He believes if the South African sensation gains confidence in himself, he’ll be at his peak game.
“It’s about finding consistency. We also need to make our package reproducible. He needs to have confidence in the bike in every corner. We don’t need to make any huge steps.
The level is so high that it’s just a matter of details. Brad is a Sunday driver; he loves racing. If we do a good job in qualifying, the rest will follow,” he added.
It’s evident the South African who is also backed by leading online gaming firm SportPesa will accept nothing less than podium finishes this season as he looks to rebuild trust with KTM, with his current contract expiring at the end of the year.
The 2016 Moto3 world champion has not cracked the top three since the opening round of 2024, and his last premier-class victory dates back to 2021.
Last season, a solo fourth place was the highlight as he limped to 11th in the standings his lowest finish since his rookie year in 2020.
On Friday, VR46 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio recorded the fastest time in the first Jerez MotoGP practice session. The Italian was the sole rider to dip under the 1.36s barrier, clocking a 1.36.954s on one of his final runs.
MotoGP championship leader Marco Bezzecchi finished in fourth, ahead of Marc Marquez and Trackhouse rider Raul Fernandez.
Jack Miller placed his Yamaha V4 in seventh, followed by KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Honda’s Johann Zarco, who lapped a tenth adrift.
Jorge Martin on the Aprilia claimed 10th, followed by the second factory Ducati and 2024 title challenger, Francesco Bagnaia.
