Brad Binder's weekend in Aragon ended in agony
MotoGP
Brad Binder had another forgettable race day on Sunday. Photo: Red Bull
Image: Red Bull
Brad Binder’s crash at the 2025 Aragon Grand Prix was a bitter blow in a season that has rarely offered the South African much respite.
Coming into the weekend, Binder had been struggling — not once starting a race from inside the top 10 all year — making his sixth-place grid slot at MotorLand Aragon his most promising launchpad to date.
With KTM showing signs of life and both Binder and teammate Pedro Acosta running competitive laps, it seemed the tide might finally turn.
However, Binder’s struggles on Saturdays continued in the sprint. After a poor launch and early-lap shuffle dropped him from sixth to 13th, he managed to salvage a ninth-place finish — better, but far from what he or the team needed.
Sunday, traditionally his strongest day, began with a glimmer of the old Binder. While Marc Marquez broke away at the front and Alex Marquez faltered in second, Binder and Acosta looked poised to capitalise. KTM’s pace appeared genuinely competitive, raising hopes of a top-five finish or better.
But then, heartbreak on lap 12: Binder lost the front at Turn 3 and crashed out. Reviewing the telemetry later, he found no clear explanation. His reflection was mixed but mature: frustration over yet another lost opportunity, but optimism about the progress made.
“Sunday started well: no spin, I felt normal, and everything was going to plan,” Binder reflected. “But then I lost the front into Turn 3. I thought, ‘What the hell happened?’
“I later looked at the data and saw I had less speed, less brake, and less pressure on the tire. It’s frustrating because every time I start to trust the front end, it lets me down.
“That said, I need to focus on the positives from this weekend. I was able to extract what I needed from the bike — whenever I had to push, I could be right in the mix. If we can carry this level of performance into the next rounds, then things should start looking up. he concluded.
Now 41 points adrift of teammate Acosta, Binder's hopes for a comeback grow narrower. Still, his closing remarks offered a ray of hope: "If we can carry this level of performance into the next rounds, then things should start looking up."
The question now is whether “Mr Sunday” can return in full force before the season runs out of road.