At KTM, if we have reason to worry given the difficulty of adapting the RC16 to the new Michelin allocation, we also have the great satisfaction of having Brad Binder in great shape. In three Grands Prix this season, the South African has scored each time. And he does it in a manner. Thus, he started 18th in Doha to finish eighth. The same ten places increased were observed in Portimao. The Mattighofen official started 15th and crossed the finish line fifth, just over 6s behind winner Quartararo. And still, to hear him say it, he could have done even better…
Three Grands Prix have been held this season and the balances are being established in the teams, which differ from the forecasts made before the start of hostilities. Thus, at Yamaha , Quartararo took the lead while Casa Particular in Viñales indeed Morbidely were favored by winter forecasts. At Ducati, Miller is not yet up to par and at KTM, Olive tree gets pushed aside by Brad Binder. The latter once again showed his great form in Portimao, during the national Grand Prix of his teammate who triumphed on his land last November. A strong message.
The solid South African had to move up ten places to get into the top 5, and yet, when it came time to take stock, he was not entirely satisfied after finishing 5th in the Portuguese Grand Prix. He comments thus: “ With five laps to go, I felt like I had a chance to get on the podium. But I didn't do enough clean laps ».
Certainly, before him, Miller, Rins et zarco fell, which made him move up in the rankings. But given the small form displayed by the RC16 at the moment, the performance is worth highlighting. “ I'm happy with our first top 5 result this season », declared the winner of Brno last year.
Brad Binder: “I really wanted to get on the podium”
But he does not sink into euphoria. “ I really wanted to get on the podium. I was lucky to obtain such a result. I came back a lot in the last five laps. I pushed as hard as I could. But I didn't quite manage to do perfectly clean laps. If I had made them, I could have at least gotten closer to third place ».
Binder finished : " Overall, I gave my best from 15th place on the grid. I didn't spare myself, I gave everything. Thanks to the team. She did an impeccable job and gave me a perfect bike for racing ». Brad Binder is now eighth in the championnat 40 points behind leader Quartararo.
MotoGP Portugal J3: classification
Credit classification motogp.com
