KTM clarify why they were never tempted to replace Brad Binder
"We don’t abandon a rider in a situation like this"
Brad Binder has retained the faith of KTM despite his difficult season.
His struggles meant that the quietest whispers about his future were muttered, but KTM moved to quickly shut down any idea that he would be replaced.
Instead, his teammate Jack Miller has lost out as Pedro Acosta joins Binder in the 2025 MotoGP rider line-up as a factory KTM rider.
“Acosta is undoubtedly a huge talent. But that doesn’t mean we are excluding Brad,” Pierer Mobility Group board member Hubert Trunkenpolz told GPone.
“Brad has been really unlucky this year; so many little things have gone wrong with him.
“But we don’t abandon a rider in a situation like this.
“We know Binder is extremely fast and can win MotoGP races.
“He has shown that time and time again with us - in all three GP classes.
“At the moment, a few things are not fitting together technically with Brad, so we have to help him a bit with the bike.
“We have gone in a direction with his bike that has helped him on the traction side, but no longer gives him the feeling at the limit that he needs for top results.”
Binder was a title contender for much of last season, the best-performing non-Ducati rider.
He eventually finished fourth in 2023 but hasn’t sustained that form, or improved upon it, this year.
After finishing second in the season-opener in Qatar, Binder has rarely troubled the front-runners.
Teenage rookie Acosta has, instead, been the best-performing KTM rider.
Binder has struggled to get to grips with the RC16 at recent rounds, and he fell out of the lead in the Catalunya sprint.
