Brad Binder “heartbroken” as “win on the cards” slips away

Brad Binder famously stayed on slicks in the rain for his 2021 Austrian MotoGP win.

But the opposite decision put the South African on course for a Sprint victory at Jerez on Saturday.

This time, the Red Bull KTM rider was the first to pit for wet tyres when a mid-race downpour arrived.

Pecco Bagnaia, Marc Marquez and Franco Morbidelli then followed - and went on to fill the podium.

However, Binder missed out after crashing on wet tyres, moments before he would have inherited the lead from the last remaining slick-tyre riders.

Binder remounted and still claimed his best result of the season, with fourth.

“Happy and heartbroken”

“Happy and heartbroken at the same time,” said Binder.

“I felt like I timed my pit-entry well, but from one lap to the next there was so much [more] water.

“When I braked in the same place I was like: ‘Oh s**t’. Lost the front, slid off, picked up and carried on.

“Super disappointed in myself because if I hadn’t crashed, I know it would have been a win on the cards there.

“But sometimes sh*t happens and unfortunately, it you’re going to bail, and you still come fourth, it’s a good day I suppose.”

Binder took the chequered flag 8.752s behind race winner Marquez, who profited from his own accident by pulling into the pits after initially deciding to stay out.