MotoGP - Brad Binder in the MotoGP crisis: This is what the KTM star is currently struggling with

After a disappointing start to the season, KTM has recently been on the up again: Two fourth-place finishes for Pedro Acosta in Aragon and Assen, plus a potential podium finish for Maverick Vinales at Mugello, had Franco Morbidelli not catapulted him out of the race with an over-the-top maneuver . The RC16 is on the rise again—at least with Acosta and Vinales. For Brad Binder, however, the trend is heading in completely the wrong direction.

A KTM spearhead for years, Binder's status as the Orange Team's number one rider had already been shaken the previous year when rookie Pedro Acosta took the premier class by storm, ultimately collecting only two fewer World Championship points than the South African. Nevertheless, Binder was once again the best KTM rider in 2024. Six months later, however, he could hardly be further from that: he has collected just 47 points after ten Grands Prix and is in a disappointing 13th place in the World Championship. Binder didn't fare worse in 2020, 2021, or 2022 – and back then, there were no bonus points awarded through sprints.

How bad is Binder's situation really? In 2025, he has only managed six combined top-ten finishes in Grand Prix and Sprint – from a total of 20 attempts. In fact, the 29-year-old from Potchefstroom only managed a meager three World Championship points in the Sprint, ending seven of the 20 races in the gravel trap. A sixth-place finish at the Spanish GP at the end of April is his best result of the season; most recently, at the Dutch TT , he finished almost 20 seconds behind teammate Acosta, found himself in Q1 for the eighth time, and couldn't get beyond 16th place on the grid. How could the number 33 car crash so badly?

Binder seems to be asking himself this question often enough these days. There's no clear answer. "I don't have much to say; I simply had no pace the entire weekend. I lacked any speed; I struggled a lot. It was tough. The only good thing I can say is that I finished both races. But that doesn't mean much to me; I'd rather be fast," said Binder after the Dutch TT, visibly dejected and perplexed. He now wants to use the break until the German GP at the Sachsenring (July 11-13) to analyze his own problems: "I urgently need to find some speed."

The big problem: Binder seems to have completely lost the feel for the front of his bike—similar to Francesco Bagnaia . Already on Friday at Mugello, he complained about what felt like his "20th crash over the front wheel this year." While the South African had been optimistic at the time that he had found a solution to his problems , in retrospect, that wasn't the case. "The front is very unstable, it shakes a lot. As a result, I have to keep closing the throttle," describes Binder. This is why he loses a lot of time, especially in fast corners, like those we've seen in abundance recently at Mugello or Assen. "I can't build up cornering speed. I have to find a way to stop this shaking or learn to ride with it."

The latter, in particular, is easier said than done. Maverick Vinales has been explaining in his media rounds and press conferences for weeks that a very precise, clean, calm, and controlled riding style is needed on the 2025 KTM RC16 to be fast . Unfortunately, Binder has a completely opposite riding style, wanting to brake hard and power the bike into the corners. "It's pretty easy to unsettle this bike. And I do it in practically every corner," the two-time Grand Prix winner admits. Therefore, a quick solution to his problems is not in sight: "I make life difficult for myself. But it's not easy to ride differently either."

Bagnaia is currently demonstrating how difficult it can be to adapt your riding style when you're deprived of your greatest strengths. However, things have been looking up for the Ducati star recently. Find out what makes him optimistic that he'll soon be back to his old self here: