Binder saves the day with action packed ride to 7th at German MotoGP

The distinctive and technical challenges of Sachsenring and a historic site for Grand Prix motorcycling were complicated further thanks to the changing climate covering the sold-out circuit west of Chemnitz. After a wet and chilly Saturday for qualification and the Sprint, the 30-lap Grand Prix took place under brighter and drier skies but with the continued threat of showers.

The Red Bull KTM contingent dropped to two-rider representation after the bad luck for both Maverick Viñales and Enea Bastianini but Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder were determined to demonstrate the potential and competitiveness of the KTM RC16 race package at the midway point of the season.

Acosta bustled into podium contention after throttling away from the middle of the second row and Binder was also active to figure in top ten running from the first lap. However, Pedro couldn’t settle into a rhythm after losing control into Turn 2 early on. The onus for Red Bull KTM fell to Binder who moved up to scrap with three other rivals for P6. The South African endured tire pressure problems for the duration but stayed on two wheels when a series of other riders fell into the gravel. He came home with 7th and nine points and was less than a tenth of a second from 6th.

Pedro holds 8th in the world championship standings. Maverick is 11th, Brad 12th and Enea is now 17th. MotoGP moves immediately east and to the fabled Brno circuit for the Grand Prix of Czechia. The last time Brno entertained the series in 2020 Brad Binder notched a special milestone for Red Bull KTM with the manufacturer’s first MotoGP triumph.

Brad Binder, 7th and 12th in the championship standings: “From a working point of view and the weekend as a whole this was definitely a step. The main race was super-difficult, such a long race and a lot of guys going down. It was chaos out there and very tricky for the front end. I was in a group the entire time and that was hard for the tire pressure and keeping the whole thing up. It was sketchy so, even though I would have liked a much better result, it was an accomplishment to get to the line.”

Pedro Acosta, DNF and 8th in the championship standings:“We don’t want to think about what could have been. We were four laps at the front with the guys but it was tough to follow them because we have less margin for error. I hardly made a mistake. Anyway…it was a solid weekend, always in the top five. We were just missing a little bit to put it all together. We’ll keep going. The last time we went to Brno it was quite nice for KTM so we’ll cross our fingers!”

Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “It was not our day today in what was a tough weekend where we missed two of our riders even before the Sprint on Saturday. The highlight was Brad, who finished and had a decent weekend overall with more progress. Pedro’s performance potential was also good and unfortunately he could not finish the race after a great start. We move on to Brno now, which will be interesting for us, and we wish a fast recovery for Maverick and hope to see Enea in a few days.”

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati 40:42.854

2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati +6.380

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati +7.080

1. Marc Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 344 points

2. Alex Marquez (ESP) Ducati, 261

3. Francesco Bagnaia (ITA) Ducati, 197

Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Alvaro Carpe lunged to the head of the Moto3 pack from P5 on the grid for a dry 23-lap Grand Prix Sunday morning. The rookie had been the best qualifier on Saturday through the wet, and was two rows ahead of teammate and championship leader Jose Antonio Rueda. The Spaniards both lodged into a leading group of 13 riders with Red Bull KTM Tech3’s Valentin Perrone and Jacob Roulstone for company.

Carpe’s enthusiasm into the first turn and contact with another rider meant he had to complete a Long Lap penalty but he fought back into the lead posse. The dispute slimmed to 10 runners by the last few circulations. Rueda held the lead until the final corner and was baulked, costing him fractions of a second. He was bumped to P3 by 0.2 but still celebrated his eighth podium of the season and extended his series advantage by another 4 points. Carpe registered P5 and Roulstone rallied to P8. Perrone was P12 from the second group.

Rueda continues to lead the Moto3 world championship standings. His margin is now 73 points with Carpe in P3 for an impressive debut season to-date. Red Bull KTM Ajo stand aloft in the Teams’ contest and KTM are clear leaders in the Constructors table.

Jose Antonio Rueda: “This is Moto3! I’m very happy to be back on the podium. More points for the championship and more of a lead. I think we made a very good race. Thanks to the team. Let’s see if we can win again in Brno.”

Moto2 was scheduled for 25 laps and with Red Bull KTM Ajo’s Deniz Öncü and Collin Veijer reaching for their own personal objectives: Öncü exploring the possibility of a third podium appearance of the season and Veijer nearing full fitness and continuing his rookie education in the intermediate category. Öncü signaled his intentions from the outset and burst into a three-rider battle for P1. The Turk sent the pace and when the race was red-flagged four laps from the flag, his position at the peak of the field meant that the 2023 Moto3 German GP winner was again on the top step of the podium. The 25-point haul means he is now up to 6th in the championship. Veijer completed the distance to finish 16th on a day that saw seven riders crash out of the running.

Deniz Öncü: “Today was a hard race. Long! I tried to lead every lap and push to the end. This track is not easy. I had pressure but I said ‘it doesn’t matter…’ A second win in the Moto2 category and I’m proud of my team and my family. Thank you!”

The tenth race of the 2025 Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup rounded off the Sunday program at Sachsenring. The ninth outing of the season took place on a wet track Saturday afternoon and with Brian Uriarte emerging as the victor but Sunday’s affair was drier and faster. Veda Pratama was able to snare the checkered flag after a 13 -rider rush for glory. Hakim Danish currently fronts the standings by 13 points from Uriarte: the protagonists both fell on Sunday. The series gets quick for the penultimate date of the year at the Red Bull Ring and the Austrian Grand Prix in five weeks.

1. David Muñoz (ESP), KTM 33:27.081

2. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +0.241

11. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team +9.429

2. Angel Piqueras (ESP), KTM, 130

6. Maximo Quiles (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 106

10. Dennis Foggia (ITA) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 62

2. Barry Baltus (BEL) +0.129

3. Jake Dixon (GBR) +1.131

12. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team +9.016

DNF. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team

1. Manuel Gonzalez (ESP), 172 points

2. Aron Canet (ESP), 163

3. Diogo Moreira (BRA), 128

14. Daniel Holgado (ESP) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 47

16. David Alonso (COL) CFMOTO Aspar Team, 36