MotoGP star could still end up in the Superbike World Championship next year.
Brad Binder and KTM look set to part ways after 11 years. Picture: Red Bull KTM
Brad Binder’s chances of staying in MotoGP post-2026 are rapidly declining with Tech3 boss Guenther Steiner ruling out a KTM lifeline next season.
Binder’s Red Bull KTM factory contract expires at the end of the season. Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio are replacing him and his Ducati-bound team-mate Pedro Acosta on multi-year contracts next season.
Despite reports that KTM might still accommodate him in 2027, Steiner has dealt his aspirations a hammer blow in saying he does not want “old baggage”. Tech3 seems set on signing Luca Marini from Honda LCR alongside one of Manuel Gonzalez or Senna Agius from Moto2.
Steiner shoots from hip
Steiner, who shot to fame as team principal of the Haas F1 team on Netflix’s Drive to Survive before taking control of Tech3 in MotoGP, says he wants a “fresh start” in 2027. This could see Binder and KTM part ways after 11 years, seven of which have been in the premier class.
“There’s a long history there [between KTM and Binder]. Somehow, sometimes you need to start from fresh, not to carry too much over,” Steiner was quoted by crash.net this week.
“I mean, we speak all about these difficult situations, and in the end we need to be what I call a happy team going forward. We don’t want any ‘old baggage’.
“Therefore, maybe it doesn’t fit in, people which were associated with the group – not only with Tech3 and KTM, but with the group – for too long of a time, because you always go back to how it was in the old days, you know.”
In the event of Binder not staying in MotoGP, his management team has been exploring another option in the form of the Superbike World Championship.
Brad Binder ‘deserves’ MotoGP bike
Acosta, meanwhile, has come out to bat for Binder, saying that his team-mate deserves to stay in the premier class.
“There have been very few people, I’m telling you, who have put in as much effort as he has,” Acosta told motorsport.com.
“But, for one reason or another, he’s not getting the results he deserves. I would definitely give him a MotoGP bike.”
The MotoGP riders are currently on a four-week summer break before the season resumes at the British Grand Prix on the second weekend of August.
