Brad Binder continues his fight for MotoGP survival at Le Mans

Brad Binder is 11th in the MotoGP title race. Picture: Red Bull KTM Brad Binder faces yet another tough test in his desperate bid to prolong his MotoGP career at the French Grand Prix this weekend. Still without a ride post 2026, the Red Bull KTM rider finds himself in a lowly 11th place in the premier class title after four rounds this season.

He will still be kicking himself for missing agolden opportunity to win the sprint racelast time out in Jerez only to crash out of the lead and finish fourth after a late swap to a wet bike. Binder, chasing a Sunday podium which has eluded him for 45 straight starts since 2024, faces a big challenge at the Le Mans Bugatti circuit this weekend. His premier class record at the 4.19m layout is mediocre, with his best finish being a sixth place in 2023.

Last year, the KTM man left France without any points after failing to finish both the sprint and main races. Binder will again look to improve his one-lap time in France to set him up better for success over the weekend. After reaching Q2 inthe season opener in Thailand, he failed to make it that far in qualifying in the next three races in Brazil, Austin and Jerez.

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He felt confident after completing al of 84 laps around the Jerez circuit during an official MotoGP test day last Monday. “We tested some different fairings and it helped a bit with turning in the faster corners, which was nice,” Binder said. “Other than that, we tested a different rear shock which seemed to calm things down and hook-up out of the corners better.

Corner entry was a bit more settled as well. Two small changes but in areas where we needed it.” Aprilia factory pair Marco Bezzecchi (101 points) and Jorge Martin (90) lead the title race going into Le Mans. Fabio Di Giannantonio (71) is third, having leapfrogged Binder’s team-mate Pedro Acosta (66) in Spain.

Teenager Ruché Moodley will be desperate to score his first Moto3 points of the season in France. The MotoGP sprint race starts at 3pm on Saturday and the main race at2pm on Sunday. The Moto3 race starts at 11am on Sunday.

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