BRAD BINDER CONFIRMED FOR BMW WORLD SUPERBIKE MOVE AFTER KTM EXIT

Brad Binder’s MotoGP career is set to end after seven seasons with KTM, with the 31-year-old confirmed to be switching to World Superbike for the 2027 season. BMW has moved quickly to secure Binder for its WorldSBK effort, with the German manufacturer taking him on for the next campaign and having him replace Danilo Petrucci. The move also sets up a reunion for Binder with a familiar face: Miguel Oliveira, a former KTM MotoGP teammate.

The timing of the switch has sparked debate, particularly because MotoGP is expected to introduce new Pirelli tyres as part of the sport’s next regulatory phase. Sylvain Guintoli, who believes Binder will be a “great asset” for BMW, also described it as a “shame” that Binder will not get the chance to race on Pirelli in MotoGP-spec form. In Guintoli’s view, the tyre change could have been the key that finally allowed Binder to rediscover the feeling he has struggled to find in recent seasons.

Guintoli’s argument centres on how Binder’s riding approach interacts with tyre characteristics. He suggested that Binder’s style is “very different” from what the current Michelin package has demanded, especially when it comes to qualifying performance. “He’s got such a different riding style, a very different approach to the corners,” Guintoli said on TNT Sports 2, adding that this has become “like an Achilles’ heel” for the South African. The former WorldSBK champion explained that Binder can often look less competitive when he is searching for the “ultimate feeling” needed to set fast qualifying laps, but that the grip drop can bring him forward once the race rhythm arrives.

Guintoli also pointed to the pattern of Binder’s results over the last few years. He said that much of the time Binder has been “anonymous” because he has typically started far back on the grid, rather than consistently challenging at the front from the outset. In his assessment, that trend is linked to the way the current tyres behave and how Binder adapts to them.

While Guintoli acknowledged that Binder has still produced strong race performances, he stressed that the opportunity to test Pirelli’s characteristics in MotoGP has been lost. “The fact that he’s not able to find that ultimate feeling to qualify, but then when the grip drops and the feeling comes to him, that’s when he comes forward,” he said. He then underlined the missed chance: “So, it’s a shame that we’re not going to see Brad on the Pirelli tyres with a MotoGP-spec bike.”

The backdrop to the move is KTM’s decision not to renew Binder’s contract. With KTM set to make way for Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio, and with Pedro Acosta heading to Ducati, Binder’s future within MotoGP was effectively closed. According to the reporting, no other MotoGP teams were understood to have shown firm interest in signing him for 2027 once KTM made clear his departure.

The tyre discussion also connects to broader concerns about how Michelin’s current rear tyre specification has affected Binder’s ability to fight for podiums. The reporting notes that Michelin introduced its present rear specification in 2024, and that Binder has not appeared to adapt successfully to the way the super-grippy rubber pushes the bike under braking. Binder’s earlier strengths included a notably distinctive braking style, involving contorting the machine to force it into the braking zone, but the tyres have reportedly not “play[ed] ball” with that approach.

Binder’s MotoGP record shows he was capable of rapid impact—he won in only his third race at Brno in 2020 and collected 10 podiums through the 2023 season, including five in 2023. However, after taking second place at the Qatar Grand Prix in 2024, he has not returned to the rostrum since.

Now, Binder’s WorldSBK challenge will hinge on whether the tyres used in the championship—Pirelli’s replacement in 2027—can suit his braking-led riding style. With BMW aiming to return to the top and Guintoli expecting Binder to be a “great asset,” the South African’s success in WorldSBK may come down to whether the next tyre direction restores the “feeling” he has been missing in MotoGP.