The Qatar Grand Prix demonstrated Ducati's superiority in the MotoGP peloton, but KTM, with Brad Binder at the spearhead, remained in the wake of Francesco Bagnaia, the leader of Ducati, throughout the race. The other Ducati official, Enea Bastianini, highlighted the threat represented by KTM, considering it, along with Aprilia, as a serious competitor for the 2024 season.
« In my opinion, Ducati is currently setting the standard for all teams, and KTM seems to be right behind, given Brad's performance in both events. KTM, alongside Aprilia, could well be our main opponent this year, " has explained bastianini.
Brad Binder: “ we are very close, that's for sure, but... »
As for KTM, Brad Binder tempered expectations regarding the progress of the Austrian team. When asked about equality of competition between KTM et Ducati, Binder tempered hopes, suggesting that, despite appearances, Martin et bagnaia from home Ducati still had room to maneuver during the race.
« Our level is similar to last year. We are very close, that's for sure,” he commented on Motorsport. " But I'm not convinced we can maintain this pace every race. I feel like I'm always pushing hard, while they seem to keep a little in reserve for when they need it.. I'm just waiting for that little something extra, and then we can see what we can do »concludes the South African.
Brad Binder distinguished himself as the sole challenger of Ducati during Q2, managing to climb to fourth place, just behind the pole sitter George Martin, with a minimal difference of more than a tenth. The driver continued his momentum with a remarkable performance during the 11-lap sprint, placing second just half a second behind Martin on his GP24. During the main race on Sunday, Binder outperformed the Pramac representative but failed to stand up to bagnaia. The reigning champion crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead of 1,3 seconds over the South African competitor.
