Strange being the Red Bull KTM senior rider, says Binder

South African MotoGP rider Brad Binder will go into the 2025 season as a senior team member for the first time since entering the elite racing league.

Binder said the 2024 race calendar was his most challenging and educational season so far, and he hopes to convert those sometimes painful lessons into wins for his team Red Bull KTM, a month away from race day in Thailand.

“I learnt a lot last year. I think sometimes you need to control your expectations. I think that was my first big lesson of the year,” Binder said on Thursday during a Red Bull KTM press conference.

“I always wanted that little bit extra, and sometimes it resulted in a lot of crashes, especially at the beginning of the season. That influenced how the weekend went on, which made things a lot more tricky.

“Coming into 2025, I think that made me a better rider and I understand a lot more now. So, I am looking forward to turning things around and getting one step closer to the front.”

The Potchefstroom-born racer finished fifth on the overall driver standings last season, with 217 points. KTM racing finished second overall on the Constructors standings with 327 points.

Second place in the Qatar race was a promising start for Binder, but he did not see the podium again in 2024. This was despite handling what was labelled sometimes as a challenging machine.

Binder said the amount of work that went into the RC16 bike was motivating and a testament to their strides for the title.

KTM Factory and Tech 3 racing will fly under one banner this season, as Red Bull unveiled the matching new liveries.

Binder said the new team was only going to add positives into the team dynamic. The new Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 are in matching colours for all four teammates.

Binder will be joined by Pedro Acosta at Red Bull KTM Factory, while Enea Bastianini and Maverick Vinales ride for Red Bull KTM Tech3.

“Firstly, we have two riders coming from two different bikes and two different factories, so I think they bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. That can help us boost the project and see where we can improve or where our strong points are,” Binder said.

“From a rider’s point of view, it really helps you chip away to try and find the maximum every day, so it’s exciting.

“It's strange to be the older one in the team now.

“It’s the first time in my life it’s happened, but it’s super cool because on one hand Pedro has come into MotoGP with such a boom and done an incredible job.

“For sure, he’s going to keep me on my toes.”