Binder’s MotoGP season up and running with solid points in Thailand
Red Bull KTM star Brad Binder finishes sixth in title race as the MotoGP heads for Brazil in March.
A solid start to the MotoGP season in Thailand at the weekend will put Brad Binder in good stead for the rest of his 2026 campaign.
The Red Bull KTM rider recorded sixth and seventh places in the sprint and main races respectively for a points haul of 13 which puts his sixth in the premier class title race.
The Citizen reports that Binder will also take a lot of confidence from his performance in qualifying. He made it through directly to Q2 on Friday, something he hasn’t done in ages. A technical issue and bike switch during Q2 saw him eventually qualify in 11th place.
Binder hungry for more
“Happy on one hand, but on the other, I’d like more than a seventh,” Binder told the KTM website after the main race.
“We’re going step-by-step and moving forward because it was good to be in Q2 directly on Friday, and both races were pretty good. We’ve made a step with consistency.
“Today was a lot more challenging than the sprint. The bike clearly has the potential, so we’ll keep working and try to catch up to Pedro.”
Binder’s team-mate Pedro Acosta leads the championship after the first round on 32 points. He won the sprint race and finished runner-up behind runaway main race winner Marco Bezzecchi.
Bad start for Ducati
Bezzecchi’s dominant performance on an Aprilia means that Ducati might have serious reasons for concern this season. Ducati could only manage seventh place in the main race with Fabio Di Giannantonio behind four Aprilias and two KTMs.
Much to the satisfaction of Red Bull KTM team manager Aki Ajo, Acosta and Binder also lead the team championship. It’s a huge feather in the orange garage’s cap after all the RC16’s well-documented troubles in 2025.
“A win and a podium this weekend mean we have to be very happy with the work of the factory, the whole staff and the riders. Especially Pedro and Brad both had a really solid and strong weekend. We made an obvious improvement from 2025,” said Ajo.
Moodley struggles
It was a weekend to forget for Ruché Moodley in Moto3. After starting 25th on the grid, the teenager finished 21st, more than 20 seconds outside the points.
MotoGP takes a three weeks’ break before the next round in Brazil from 20 to 22 March.
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