Brad Binder had to retire his bike during Sunday’s MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas due to electrical issues, concluding a miserable weekend for the South African and Red Bull KTM. It was all the more disappointing as the main event could have been his most solid finish of the season so far.
Held at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas, Binder managed to complete only 12 laps before he had to retire. The 29-year-old had a good start to the race and worked his way up the pack to P5 before his bike let him down.
His teammate Pedro Acosta, meanwhile, also had to retire his bike but after just 10 laps. Acosta suffered “rear vibrations” during the Sprint on Saturday and a day later encountered technical difficulties during the main race as well.
Binder also missed out on championship points during the Sprint after a P12 finish.
Bit of a wild one today with all the chaos but once we got going, I managed a decent start and was feeling solid in the mix. Worked my way up to 5th, taking my time to suss out the wet patches and just as I was ready to push, we had a small technical issue that shut things down.
“A chaotic start," said Binder, reflecting on the race.
"Nobody knew what was going on, but when the race did start, I got away really well and fought with the guys earlier on. I took my time to see where I could push with the wet patches on the track, and after about half-race distance, I felt I could push on.
"I moved up another position, but then we had an electrical issue and had to stop. Really unfortunate because we would have been guaranteed a Top 5. We made an important step forward, and the bike was a lot more how I wanted it.”
Ducati Lenovo rider Pecco Bagnaia won the race after teammate Marc Márquez crashed out of the lead at a wet COTA. The weather was unpredictable all weekend, making it a slippery endeavour.
French racer Fabio Quartararo also crashed early in the race but managed to get back onto his bike to finish. Red Bull and Binder took a gamble by going on slick tyres in the wet conditions, but the South African handled the RC16 with finesse to fight his way up before retiring.
With 19 points so far this season, Binder is 11th in the rider standings and three points ahead of Acosta — a position in the constructors' championship that will be a major concern for the team, despite their being a handful of positives.
"We cannot be happy with the final results or what happened, but it hides some of the progress we are making," KTM team manager Aki Ajo insisted.
"We have to examine why Pedro was struggling in what were difficult conditions between the dry of warm-up, the rain of the sighting lap, and then a drying track that caused the race delay.
"On the other side of the box, Brad had much more feedback from his bike after some changes to the settings, and this was more positive. We want to see how it will work in Qatar. We should have made the Top 5 with him ... We’re heading in the right direction.”
The Spanish brother duo Marc and Álex Márquez continue their battle at the top. Álex’s third consecutive second-place finish in Austin puts him ahead of Marc by one point to lead the championship.