MotoGP star Brad Binder recently confessed that he had much higher hopes for his career after he won in Brno in only his third premier class start in 2020.
At that stage, the 24-year-old had won Moto3, came agonisingly close to adding the Moto2 title to his CV and managed to win his first premier class race in less attempts than it took Valentino Rossi and Mick Doohan to win their first titles.
The 2020 Rookie of the Year’s stock rose further with his emphatic victory in Spielberg in 2021. A late downpour during the Austrian Grand Prix resulted in a mad rush for wet bikes in the pit lane, but Binder stayed out on the track on slicks, slipping and sliding his way into folklore.
His steady progress continued and two years later a fourth place in the title race paved the way for an unprecedented contract extension from Red Bull KTM until the end of 2026.
He had been with the Austrian manufacturer since 2015 and was the chosen one to win them their first premier class title.
End of the road in MotoGP?
But motorsport is a cruel mistress and three years later, with his main race podium drought stretching back 45 starts, KTM have seemingly given up on him to deliver the silverware that still eludes them.
His below-par RC16 machinery hasn’t done him any favours, but KTM will argue that during the same time Binder’s team-mate, Pedro Acosta, has stood on the podium 12 times riding the same bike.
Acosta is joining Marc Marquez at factory Ducati in 2027, with the latter’s brother Alex Marquez moving from Gresini Ducati to Red Bull KTM.
Chances are slim that Binder will be offered the seat alongside the 2025 MotoGP runner-up, spelling the end of his MotoGP career.
Looking ahead
A rumoured switch to the World Superbike Championship might not be a bad move. At 31, it can’t be the end of the road for such a gifted rider.
And someone like Max Biaggi has made a success of swapping MotoGP for WorldSBK.
Brad’s younger brother Darryn made an immediate impact after switching from Moto2 to the Supersport class in MotoAmericana Superbikes this year.
Maybe a change is as good as a holiday after all.
