One struggling KTM MotoGP star gives blunt “3/10” rating on 2025 season

KTM’s Brad Binder has given a blunt “three out of 10” rating for his 2025 MotoGP season, as his wait for a podium rolls into the final four rounds.

The South African was one of the darlings of KTM’s junior roster on his way up to MotoGP in 2020, where he scored a maiden victory for himself and the brand after just three rounds.

But Brad Binder’s victory haul in MotoGP stands at just two, with his last coming in a flag-to-flag Austrian Grand Prix in 2021.

He maintained occasional podium visits in the seasons that followed, but remains without a rostrum in what has been a tough 2025 on the factory RC16.

Binder is currently 11th in the points having only taken his best result of the season of fourth two weeks ago in Indonesia. He is 97 points adrift of team-mate Pedro Acosta.

In a new interview with the official MotoGP website, Binder offered a frank assessment of his 2025 season.

“To rate my season, I’d give it a solid three out of 10 at the moment,” he said.

“It’s been really, really challenging. It’s been a tough year for me.

“The biggest downfall we have right now is, basically, we are missing speed.

“It’s been a really different season to previous.

“I feel like in my previous years, to get onto the podium was never that hard.

“So, you could always have a race that goes well, or a couple here or there and everything just falls into place or goes according to plan.

“Whereas, lately it’s felt a lot more difficult to really get everything to fall into place.

“It’s definitely been a challenging time for myself and also KTM. We need to come back up to speed together.”

Team-mate Pedro Acosta has been a regular podium challenger since receiving updates to his KTM after the summer break.

He was second last time out in Indonesia, while Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales have also put in podium performances in 2025 - though the latter’s was stripped from him due to a tyre pressure infringement.