Brad Binder was the best non-Ducati rider in MotoGP in 2024, finishing fifth in the standings. However, his initial expectations were not met as he was unable to consistently fight for podiums.
The season started promisingly with a second-place finish in Qatar. However, the South African never managed to finish another main race in the top three, despite regularly placing in the top nine.
Ahead of the new season, Binder admitted that 2024 was a year of great learning, particularly in terms of managing expectations:
– In 2024 I learned a lot. Firstly, I think sometimes you need to control your expectations – I think it was my first big lesson of the year. I think I always wanted that little bit extra, and sometimes it resulted in a lot of crashes – especially at the beginning of the season – which then really influenced everything and made things a lot more tricky.
The #33 added: ‘I feel like coming into 2025, it has made me a much better rider, and I understand a lot more now. So, I’m looking forward to really turning things around a little bit and hopefully getting one step closer to the front’.