Pedro Acosta says he is currently comparing himself to team-mate Brad Binder, who he believes is “the fastest KTM rider” coming into the 2026 MotoGP season.
Pedro Acosta ended pre-season testing at Buriram as the leading KTM rider, picking up from where he left off at the end of 2025, where he was the brand’s only consistent podium finisher.
Brad Binder, by contrast, failed to score a podium last season and was 152 points adrift of Acosta in the championship.
The South African also had a low-key pre-season, struggling for pace up until the closing stages of the Buriram test.
However, Acosta considers him to be the reference rider at KTM ahead of this weekend’s Thai Grand Prix.
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“It all depends on how far or close you are,” he told the media on Thursday at Buriram.
“Now I compare myself to Binder because he has confidence.
“At the moment, he is the fastest KTM rider, and it is important to look at the fastest riders, even if it is difficult to make all the necessary comparisons during testing because maybe one rider is doing a different job from another.”
Brad Binder, KTM Factory Racing, 2026 Buriram test
© Gold and Goose
Binder breakthrough comes late in pre-season testing
Speaking last weekend after the Buriram test, Binder noted that his race simulation ultimately confirmed to him that a major set-up change was needed.
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Those changes to the balance of the RC16 ultimately proved to be the correct move, with Binder more confident at the end of the test.
“Today was pretty much a day of two halves,” he said last Sunday.
“This morning was not great, but then I did the full race simulation in the afternoon, and it really confirmed my feelings that we need to change something with the set-up.
“After that, we ended up making a big change.
“I did the last time attack in the afternoon and things were much better.
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“So, happy with that, and I’m looking forward to exploring this area more.
“It was really balance, we made a big shift in the balance and everything started to work better.”
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