Silverstone, United Kingdom: MotoGP made a storming return after the summer break of the 2023 season. Following a wet sprint race on Saturday that saw riders Jack Miller and Brad Binder finish 7th and 9th respectively, the famous Silverstone track laid host to round nine of twenty of the season.
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider, Brad Binder, secured an excellent podium finish after charging his way through the field from 10th on the grid. Meanwhile his teammate, Jack Miller had an excellent qualifying to start second on the grid.
The Australian, Miller, got off to a fantastic start by powering his way into the lead of the race as the lights went out. Binder dropped down a place from his starting position to run in 11th for lap one of the race. There was plenty of action at the back of the field with a number of riders exchanging positions.
Struggling for grip on the track Miller had to concede the lead to World Champion, Francesco Bagnaia, on the lap two of 20. A lap later and Jack Miller was sent wide by an early pass by Vinales, which dropped him back outside the top ten.
Binder was one of the few riders to select a medium tire choice for the long 20-lap Grand Prix that took place under cloudy and threatening skies. The South African used the full race package of the KTM RC16 to charge into the fighting quartet vying for the lead of the race.
Proceedings were complicated by light showers that dowsed the first and last sectors of the hefty 5.9km layout in Silverstone but Binder – with famous previous form when it comes to exploring the limits of slick tires in rainy conditions – kept in the dispute for trophies.
Binder made his move past Maverick Viñales for P3 and defended the position and the 16 points until the chequered flag. He was just half a second from winner Aleix Espargaro. The result delivers Binder’s second podium of 2023 and means he is 36 points from the top three of the championship standings.
Jack Miller meanwhile managed to recover his race after dropping back to 14th in the field to take home an eighth-placed finish at the flag. Next up, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing heads to its home race next in the Spielberg hills in two weeks time.
Taking his second podium of the season, rider Brad Binder said: “Really tricky, and very sketchy at the end! This track is so big and covers so much space that it was wet in some sectors and dry in others: it was hard to understand how much I could push!
“Hats off to the team; they did an amazing job and the bike was fantastic, I wanted the win for them today but 3rd will have to do. Days like this are awesome for a podium finish just because of how difficult it was.”
After his recovery ride in the race, rider Jack Miller said: “I felt like I was struggling for grip from the get-go. I just couldn’t really make it work from the start. I tried to consolidate my position and then the contact with Maverick sent me on the grass and after all the rain yesterday I just had to make sure I was going straight!
“I put my head down afterwards but my pace was a little off. Fortunately the rain gave me a chance to catch the boys again and we reached the top ten but it was not the way I wanted my weekend to unfold. We’ll learn from it and come back swinging in Austria.”
Happy to get the season back underway again, Red Bull KTM Team Manager Francesco Guidotti said: “A good weekend, especially for Brad’s podium. Jack was 1st and in the leading group until the contact with Viñales. Some good speed and good signs in various conditions at this Grand Prix. Brad fought until the end of the race and we are happy with the 3rd place.
“It’s important to see our progression. We missed the podium in Assen but we made it here and now we are looking forward to the home race with a lot of confidence.”
Home turf next! The CryptoDATA Motorrad Grand Prix von Österreich will see the Spielberg hills echo to MotoGP on 20th August.