Brad Binder seems to be gradually getting his head above water, and finished the Austrian Grand Prix despite missing a wing.
Brad Binder Is he coming back? This is what the South African's latest performances and especially his statements suggest. In great difficulty since the start of the season, he has been gradually climbing the rankings over the past two Grands Prix, and continued this momentum in Austria, on KTM's home turf.
Having automatically qualified for Q2 on Friday, he came up short on Saturday, finishing 11th, but then secured a top-five finish in the sprint race. This Sunday, he displayed excellent pace in the first four laps, moving up to fifth. Unfortunately, he clashed with another driver and dropped back to ninth, with a wing missing.
Binder He fought on his KTM and battled against Joan Mir, Francesco Bagnaia and Raúl Fernández, and ultimately finished seventh. While he knows he could have done better, he believes he gave his all given the circumstances, and above all felt he had found his form again. He will have to confirm his feelings next weekend in Hungary.
“I had a solid race today, but it could have been a lot better. I didn't get a good start, but I made a few passes and moved up to fifth early in the race. I felt good, but I got spun around by another rider in the last corner and lost a wing in the process. The rest of the race was a real mission. It was tough after that, as wheelies are difficult here without the aero, and the bike was moving around a lot. It was a long race!” did he declare.
"I feel like I fought well and did everything I could. I finished seventh but the potential was there to do better. I felt like I was back, which gave me a good boost for Hungary."
Results Grand Prix from Austria
Classification credit: MotoGP.com