MotoGP, Sportrik Media - Brad Binder admitted he expected a stronger result than seventh place at the opening round of the 2026 MotoGP season at Buriram. The KTM rider described the result as a reasonable starting point but acknowledged that his current race pace still needs improvement.
The South African also saw his status as KTM’s most recent race winner come to an end after team-mate Pedro Acosta claimed victory in the Sprint race on Saturday. In Sunday’s grand prix, Binder once again finished as the second-best KTM rider, crossing the line 11.8 seconds behind Acosta, who secured second place in the race.
That gap represented an average deficit of roughly 0.455 seconds per lap over the course of the grand prix. Despite the difference in pace, Binder considered the opening weekend a positive foundation for the season.
“Today was alright,” Binder said.
“I'm glad to have started the year by getting into Q2 and having two decent finishes.
“I’d like a hell of a lot more than a seventh, but at the end of the day, that's my pace at the moment. It's a good starting point, I'd say.”
Binder added that the priority now is to continue building performance with the RC16 package as the season progresses, believing there is still untapped potential in both the bike and his own performance.
“We need to keep building, keep pushing forward, and I feel like I have a lot more in the tank. Let's keep working and try to find that extra pace,” he explained.
During the closing stages of the race, Binder was running in 11th position with six laps remaining. However, several retirements ahead helped him move up the order before the finish.
Incidents involving Marc Marquez, Alex Marquez, and Joan Mir opened the door for Binder to gain positions. He also overtook Francesco Bagnaia late in the race to secure seventh place at the chequered flag.
Binder highlighted tyre management as one of the key improvements for KTM compared to the previous season, particularly with the rear tyre, which had often been a weakness for the RC16 in earlier campaigns.
“I could feel we were spinning quite a lot,” Binder said.
“So I made sure to try to be clever and get the rear tyre to the end, which I was happy about because we managed to make a good step compared to last season.”
According to Binder, the team made noticeable progress in controlling rear tyre degradation throughout the race distance.
“Especially the way we looked after the rear tyre, the centre, had a lot less spin, so there's positive to take out this weekend,” he added.
“Mainly, I just need to find a bit more pace.”
The Buriram weekend also marked Binder’s first MotoGP event working with new crew chief Phil Marron. His former crew chief Andres Madrid has now moved to the Tech3 KTM garage to work alongside Enea Bastianini.
In the season opener, the other Tech3 KTM rider, Maverick Vinales, finished in 16th position.
After the first round of the 2026 MotoGP season, Binder sits sixth in the riders’ championship standings, while Acosta heads into the second round in Brazil as the early championship leader.
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