In the Australian MotoGP held on Saturday, Jorge Martin took a bold gamble in his quest for the title by choosing the soft rear tyre, a choice only shared by two other riders on the grid.
While it was expected that his performance might suffer due to this tyre choice, Martin managed to build an early lead and appeared poised for victory until the final laps, where he came under pressure from the chasing pack. Brad Binder, who spent a considerable portion of the race in second place, eventually lost his podium position when Johann Zarco overtook him, forcing him wide on the track. Nevertheless, Binder, riding for KTM, expressed contentment with his fourth-place finish, especially as he once again emerged as the top non-Ducati rider.
Reflecting on his performance, Binder commented
“Overall, it was a really good day. Unfortunately, the last three laps weren’t as strong, but aside from that, it was a solid race for me. It marked my best qualifying result in MotoGP, and I started the race strongly, riding the bike well while managing the tyre effectively.”
Binder acknowledged that he may have been overly cautious in the final sector, focusing on tyre conservation, which cost him time when Fabio Di Giannantonio overtook him. He adjusted his approach, becoming more competitive once again. However, when Zarco passed him, Binder found himself at the back of the group, making it challenging to regain positions.
Despite the late-race difficulties, he was pleased with his strong performance, noting that it was a significant improvement compared to his previous two races and a valuable learning experience. Binder also extended his sympathy to Jorge Martin, who led the race for the majority of the laps, only to lose four positions on the final lap. Binder admired Martin’s ability to maintain a fast pace with the soft tyre, describing it as impressive. He said,
“I feel a bit sorry for him because he dropped like a stone after leading the entire race.”
Jorge Martin’s impressive performance saw him leading for 816 out of the total 824 corners in the Australian MotoGP only to finish the race in 5th.