Twelfth for Brad in the Sachsenring Sprint

MotoGP has called the tight, narrow 3.6km Sachsenring layout ‘home’ since 1998 and will continue to compete in the Saxony area of Germany until 2031. The 28th edition of a Grand Prix at the site started in warm and bright conditions and with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing duo Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder as well as Red Bull KTM Tech3 pair Enea Bastianini and Maverick Viñales hunting direct Q2 entry on Friday afternoon.

On Saturday the attention remained on Pedro. Brad, Enea and Maverick took 16th, 17th and 20th after Q1. The Spaniard, who recently underwent surgery on his right wrist to fix carpal tunnel syndrome, pushed until the last seconds of the 15-minute lap-record-breaking Q2 session and was 10th from 12 riders divided by a tight 0.7 of a second.

The Sprint rounded Sachsenring for 15 laps and was a static and cagey contest. Acosta rallied hard to stalk and pass Fabio Quartararo, and the move was enough to gain P8 and ensure a 2-point return. Further back Binder and Bastianini completed their own journeys as overtaking proved to be a challenge. 12th for the South African and 14th for the Italian, as Viñales tried to rise from the back of the pack with his weaker left shoulder but only reached 19th.

The Grand Prix will feature 30 laps, one of the highest quantities of the season, and will begin at 14.00 CEST tomorrow.

Brad Binder
16th in qualification, 12th in the Sprint:

“I thought I had much more in qualifying. I couldn’t go any quicker. I didn’t have a good start in the Sprint. I managed to pass a couple of guys and that was it. Massive understeer…but I think a lot of people are dealing with this and the left side of the tire overheats. I need to deal a bit better with that tomorrow and I’m hoping the guys can me a bit of help making the front stick.”