BRAD BINDER SAYS HE MAY HAVE BEEN TOO CAUTIOUS AFTER SILVERSTONE RECOVERY

Brad Binder’s Silverstone weekend offered a rare mix of frustration and improvement, with the KTM rider still pointing to qualifying as the main problem area of his season. The South African qualified 18th, leaving him to fight through the field in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix.

On Saturday, Binder crossed the line in 11th in the Sprint. On Sunday, he made a better start and was in the points early, running 12th after only a few corners. He then passed Iker Lecuona, the Gresini replacement, moving up to 11th. Binder also won a short battle with Yamaha rider Jack Miller before taking another step forward by overtaking Fabio Quartararo.

From there, Binder spent a long stretch in 10th. As the race progressed, the field shifted: after Ai Ogura of Trackhouse Aprilia retired around the middle of the contest, Binder moved into ninth. In lap 12 he overtook VR46 rider Franco Morbidelli, but after that the pace gains didn’t continue. Binder ultimately finished eighth, a result that felt more encouraging than his qualifying position suggested.

Reflecting on the weekend, Binder said that things improved from Saturday afternoon onward. “In the Sprint I felt much better, also with used tyres,” he explained. For the main race, he focused on managing his rear tyre, adding, “I knew I had to be clever so I wouldn’t overheat my rear tyre. Maybe I was a bit too cautious, because in the end I still had a lot of grip.”

He also described the overall sensation on the bike as a key difference. “I’m more happy than normal, because the bike felt a bit better. I could push more, and it worked well,” Binder said. He noted that the last two weekends had been trending in the right direction: “There is progress. So it has to continue.”

Binder linked the improvement to changes in how the RC16 behaved, particularly with tyre feel. “The rear tyre doesn’t feel as vague anymore and the front tyre is more stable,” he said. He suggested that the earlier “vague” rear feeling had forced him to ride too gently, costing time at multiple phases of the corner: “You lose time at the entry, in the middle and at the exit.”

With Silverstone behind him, Binder left the UK with optimism for the next round in late August at Aragon. “Yes, that’s true. We made a big step with the bike. All in all, I can’t complain,” he said.