Brad Binder admits he “can do a lot better” after ‘super disappointing’ MotoGP 2025

Brad Binder admitted that the 2025 MotoGP season was the worst of his career in the premier class, insisting it was not a true reflection of his potential.

Binder had been KTM’s standout performer for several seasons, earning a reputation as a dependable rider that the Austrian marque could rely on. Even when Pedro Acosta took MotoGP by storm in his rookie season in 2024, Binder outscored the youngster to finish the year as KTM’s highest points scorer.

However, the South African’s form took a significant dip this year as he struggled to get the best out of the RC16, scoring just 155 points compared to 217 the previous year. For the first time in his MotoGP career, Binder failed to score a podium all season, while 11th place marked his lowest championship finish since his rookie campaign in 2020.

Although his results improved in the final part of the season, with top-five finishes in Indonesia and Portugal, it was not enough to change the overall picture of his campaign.

Asked if 2025 was his least satisfying season at world championship level, the 30-year-old said: ”Grand prix racing, maybe, but in MotoGP, 100%. 

“I feel like I can do a lot better than I did. Things didn't quite gel this season, for sure.

“I'm super disappointed to finish the season where I did in the championship. I feel like we made some small improvements at the end and I was getting a bit faster. However, still not competitive, so I still got some work to do.”

Brad Binder, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

Binder prefers a bike that gives him strong rear stability, but in 2025 he struggled to find that feeling, often ending up overloaded on the front and fighting the bike’s front-end limitations.

To address that weakness, KTM introduced a revised package at last month’s Valencia test, and Binder came away encouraged by the changes.

“The bike felt good,” he explained. “We tried a couple more aero [packages], which seemed to give me a feeling that the bike was a bit more balanced between the two wheels.

“It just made me feel like I was a bit more between the two wheels rather than just on the nose. So I liked the feeling of it.

“The guys can go back and really check everything; see the numbers and see where we can go from there.”

He added: “I've felt like for a long time now that we're really riding on one wheel. So, I felt really nice to be planted between the two. 

“We didn't have time to really play too much. It was literally just bolting stuff on. So I feel like there's a step there, and it's going to be good once we have some more time on it.”