Brad Binder 'much more satisfied' after solid Spanish showing

In a city famous for its sherry-soaked oak, Brad Binder conquered the relentless southern sun in Jerez, overcoming his struggles with his KTM to claim a solid sixth-place finish at the Spanish GP on yet another memorable Sunday.

Binder improved on his 13th-place start to earn a valuable haul of 10 points in the main race, closing the gap to Pedro Acosta, who sits just one point ahead of him in the championship standings. 

The South African rider would have been even more pleased to finish ahead of his teammate, especially after his 11th-place finish at Saturday's sprint, with Tech3 rider Maverick Vinales (seventh) and Acosta (tenth) finishing ahead of him.

Acosta has been consistently finding more pace and has been stronger on the RC16 in recent weeks, making Binder’s solid performance on Sunday a crucial step forward in his own campaign.

The 29-year-old Binder was pleased with some of the changes made to his bike but also acknowledged that there’s still plenty of room for improvement, despite the positive step forward this weekend.

“Much more satisfied with what we managed to do (Sunday)," Binder said after the race.

“We made a big change with the bike and it was turning a lot better, especially with edge grip and I could manage it better. I could push. It’s nice to make a decent recovery. I still need to work on my all-out pace; I’m not fast enough.

“My consistency was good; I just need that extra speed. I need to find that small extra comfort to be able to push on again.”

Racing team manager Aki Ajo was also pleased with the team's showing this past weekend and he believes the team is making steady progress as they turn their focus to France in a fortnight.

“Another positive weekend in a row and more understanding about where we are and how to improve in areas where we’ve had some weakness," Ajo told the KTM website.

“The sprint race on Saturday was not the easiest session but in the grand prix today we made a step forward, and in different conditions. It’s important that we look at the progress in the last three races and that we are moving in the right direction. 

“We are creating the feeling that our riders need and increasing the trust. Now we look to France.”