Brad Binder Slams 'Unfair' Assen MotoGP Tyre Pressure Penalty

Brad Binder has criticised the tyre pressure penalty he received after the 2026 Dutch MotoGP, arguing that the sanction was unfair because a Race Direction track limits warning blocked the dashboard of his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing machine during the closing stages of the race.

Binder originally crossed the finish line in ninth place before post-race checks showed that his front tyre pressure remained above the mandatory minimum for only 14 of the 26 race laps. Falling one lap short of the required 15 laps resulted in the standard 16-second time penalty, dropping him to 11th in the final classification.

The South African did not dispute the official tyre pressure data. Instead, he questioned the circumstances that prevented him from monitoring the information needed to manage the tyre pressure during the race.

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"I finished ninth, but they said I had a front tyre pressure investigation. The last message I had on my dashboard showed it was inside the limit," Binder explained.

According to Binder, a track limits warning sent by Race Direction remained permanently displayed on the dashboard for the final eight laps, preventing him from viewing tyre pressure data, lap times or any other telemetry.

"Race Direction sent me a track limits warning that they never deleted. It covered my entire dashboard for eight laps. I couldn't see my front tyre pressure, I couldn't see my lap time, I couldn't see anything other than a flashing track limits warning. I don't believe they can give me a penalty. If they can, it's really unfair," he said.

Binder added that riders who risk falling below the minimum tyre pressure threshold normally have the option of following another bike closely to increase front tyre pressure. However, he argued that such a strategy becomes impossible when the relevant dashboard information is unavailable.

Despite praising improvements made to the RC16, which he felt was more stable than earlier in the weekend, Binder ultimately lost two positions after the stewards confirmed the penalty. Augusto Fernandez also received a post-race tyre pressure penalty for the same infringement, although his finishing position remained unchanged.