Since making his debut for Red Bull KTM last season – and winning his (and KTM’s) first race only three rounds into the championship, South African rider Brad Binder has been stamping his authority all over the MotoGP world championship. Yet, despite his incredible race pace almost every single weekend, he hasn’t returned to the podium since that win – and it’s perhaps due to his Saturday self-sabotages.
There’s no doubt that Binder is an incredible talent with a particular skill for racecraft. Able to carve his way through the field as soon as the lights go out, he’s perhaps matched only by reigning world champion Joan Mir in his ability to attack from the off.
In fact, so strong is he on Sunday that comparisons have been made to nine-time world champion Valentino Rossi, a similar Sunday specialist whose own ability to come from a mediocre qualifying position has been for years part of his own unique talents.
But while Binder might be exceptionally good at actually racing, there is no questioning that his qualifying run of form is a significant hurdle he has to overcome when it actually comes to racing – and it’s something that he needs to fix sooner rather than later if he’s to return to the podium.
When you start as far back as 21st on multiple occasions this year, there’s only so much that amazing talent in the race can do for you, and it’s a large part of the reason why Binder’s best performance of the year is fourth – a result at the Sachsenring that came from a distant 13th place on the grid.
So what’s the cause of the problem? Well, there’s one thing we can rule out right away – it’s not necessarily something that Binder inherently does differently from everyone else on the grid.
Unlike reigning world champion Mir, who has a similar Saturday problem, Binder does have past form as being a good qualifier, taking six pole positions and eleven front row starts from 18 races in the year that he won the Moto3 world championship.
By comparison, Mir started from pole position just once en route to winning the title himself a year later.
It’s hard to argue that the problem is with the KTM RC16 either, given that he’s been outqualified at nearly every single race this season by team-mate Miguel Oliveira. Only twice has Binder started from a better grid position, but even then it was only a few places ahead whereas when the situation is reversed, Oliveira can be as many as five rows ahead of Binder.
Which means that the problem lies somewhere in between all of those issues, a mysterious combination of style and setting that’s going to take some time for Binder and crew chief Andres Madrid to work out.
It’s no secret that the KTM does require a particular style of riding for a time attack – a hangover both of its initial origins as something of a Honda RC213V clone and of the development work completed by former factory rider Pol Espargaro, whose style is still imprinted on the bike.
A rider who is more than capable of putting aside his fears and riding beyond the limit for one or two laps in order to secure a time, Espargaro was bitten more than once by the bike. Keeping the RC16 under control is not an easy party trick to pull off, and while Oliveira seems to be able to manage it, the true nature of the bike might be more reflected in the qualifying form of satellite riders Danilo Petrucci and Iker Lecuona, who have results much more akin to Binder than the Portuguese rider.
However, it’s also something that’s likely to be addressed when the 2022 RC16 makes its first appearance. It’ll be the first bike developed by the hands of KTM test rider and former Repsol Honda rider Dani Pedrosa rather than a creation of Espargaro and previous lead test rider Mika Kallio, and it’s hard to believe that the diminutive Spaniard won’t have pushed the Austrian manufacturer to produce a more rider-friendly machine.
In the interim, there’s another bonus for Binder: KTM’s new chassis. First introduced at the Italian Grand Prix in an attempt to address issues with the 2021 Michelin tyre allocation that played havoc with the opening races of KTM’s season, there’s been a noticeable step up in performance for the team since then.
Going from an average qualifying position outside the top 15 to fighting for the second row on two of the four races since the new frame arrived, it’s a sign that there are improvements to come for Binder, even if it’s going to take a little time for him and his team to dial in a new base setting for Saturday afternoons.
It’s also a surefire bet that KTM’s racing department back in Mattighofen won’t be idle during MotoGP’s five-week summer break. It’s already shown its abilities this year to adapt and overcome with the quick work on the new chassis, and with the season resuming with two key races at KTM’s home track in Austria, there will undoubtedly be new surprises to help Binder move forward even more come the restart.
