Brad Binder could have won in the sprint race, but made a mistake and instead saw his GP unfold with difficulty, as often happens.
Brad Binder He came incredibly close to experiencing an exceptional Spanish Grand Prix, which would undoubtedly have given him a huge morale boost. After a start to the weekend fairly similar to usual, where he failed to make it out of Q1, he got off to a good start in the sprint race, which saw him climb to ninth place. He hadn't moved from that position when the rain started to fall.
Known for his strong performance in these conditions, the South African took the gamble of being among the first to pit for a bike change, and it paid off. Leaving the pits virtually in the lead, he nevertheless made a mistake and crashed. While he managed to get going again and secured a welcome fourth place in what has been a difficult season, he is aware that he came very close to winning the race.
“I’m both happy and disappointed. I felt like I’d managed my pit entry well, but from one lap to the next, there was a lot of water. When I braked in the same spot, I thought, ‘Oh shit!’ I lost the front, slid, got back up, and went again. Finishing fourth is pretty good, I’m happy with that. It’s a bit of a shame, because I would have loved to win again. Maybe next time.”he commented during his debriefing.
The following day, in dry conditions, the situation returned to normal and he could do no better than 11th. However, the KTM struggled more at the Jerez circuit, and even Pedro Acosta and Enea Bastianini struggled. did not perform a miracle. Nevertheless, Binder finished behind them with the awareness of having missed a great opportunity the day before.
“It was a long race. I got a good start, but then I lost speed and the front end was understeering in the corners. To control it, I had to brake earlier. When the tires started to wear, it was easier to manage, but it was still really tricky and very difficult to brake cleanly. This race was more complicated than expected, and we need the test to find the right setup to achieve our goal.”, did he declare.
On Monday, during testing, he was among the drivers who completed the most laps (82), but nothing was revealed about what he tested. We'll have to wait until the French Grand Prix next weekend to see if it paid off for the South African.
Results Spanish Grand Prix 2026 :
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
