Brad Binder performed admirably at the Austrian Grand Prix, earning a fifth-place finish that helped him solidify his standing in the overall standings. The South African rider, though, has some concerns regarding his KTM’s overall performance.
The Austrian Grand Prix saw Brad Binder, the star driver for KTM, finish fifth, but this is not the whole tale. The South African’s viewpoint may sound honorable, but it belies a tremendous dissatisfaction on their part, as they perceived a much worse reality.
Binder was not thrilled with his seventh-place finish in the Sprint on Saturday, which was a sharp contrast to his 2023 efforts where he finished second in both races. This time, Brad Binder couldn’t really compete as the Ducati, ever-vigilant, dominated the race.
Brad Binder’s goal of finishing in the top five for the Sunday Grand Prix was finally accomplished. Nevertheless, he made a strong start from the fourth row, which allowed him to surge up to fifth place fast. This was made possible in part by an accident that occurred between Franco Morbidelli and Marc Marquez in the first round.
Brad Binder: “This position usually indicates 3–4 seconds for the winner; however, it was 18 seconds here.”
Binder tried to chase the leading three with teammate Jack Miller in tow, but this move became a defensive manoeuvre very fast. The exit was definitely advantageous. “After that, I was able to control my race well,” Brad Binder stated, complimenting his team on their fuel management, an important skill on this difficult course.
Brad Binder did not disguise his annoyance at the lack of competition for the entire distance, though, even beneath his seeming satisfaction: “the result is less good than it appears.”Fifth place is good enough. However, lagging behind the leader is completely unproductive. This position usually gives the winner three to four seconds; today, it was eighteen. This is just too big.”
The severity of the issue is shown by this ruthless examination of his performance:Despite having a strong start to the race, KTM was unable to maintain the leaders’ pace. Brad Binder realized that Marc Marquez would eventually pass him, even if it had only 10 laps remaining. “I knew Marc would show up eventually.I had the least amount of traction from the lengthy 5 till the slow turn 4.I moved really slowly as I was learning.”
Brad Binder was disappointed, but the points he scored in Austria helped him surpass Peter Acosta in the general classification and establish himself as the best driver in the KTM. However, this fifth position does not conceal a sense of unfulfilledness for a contender of his quality.
