MotoGP rounded the overcast Termas de Rio Hondo circuit for the second round of the season and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Brad Binder was the highest classified racer after 25 laps by taking his KTM RC16 to 7th place in Argentina. Pedro Acosta was also in the top ten with 9th while the KTM GP Academy were encouraged by Jose Antonio Rueda’s fight for victory in Moto3.
The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and Red Bull KTM Tech3 teams advanced their development for the 2025 KTM RC16 with another busy and useful Grand Prix race this season. All four riders probed the limits of adhesion and possibilities through the 4.8km layout in northern Argentina for the first event back at Termas in two years.
Brad Binder was the most competitive runner from the quartet. The South African burst into the top six in the opening laps from 11th on the grid in a typically feisty performance. He couldn’t go with the pace of the top five and had to conserve his tires and grip in the last third of the race. 7th was an improvement over the points taken in Thailand. Pedro Acosta was initially with his teammate but then dropped a few places to regulate tire temperature before fighting back as the laps counted down. The 20-year-old suffered a little with arm-pump but confirmed 9th and his first Sunday Grand Prix points of the season.
Maverick Viñales made considerable gains from the rear of the field to move close to the top ten and acquire 13th for three championship points. Enea Bastianini tried to show his best potential in the longer Grand Prix distance but had a crash when he was forced wide on the second lap. The Italian remounted for 18th. MotoGP stays in the Americas with round three taking the series to COTA in Austin, Texas in a fortnight.
Brad Binder, 7th and 8th in the championship standings: “I’m happy because I gave absolutely everything I had from the first lap. Also happy to get some points after what happened yesterday. I had a decent enough start and tried to go with the guys. I knew it would be tricky once we had our tire drop but I did my best and tried to make zero mistakes. Unfortunately, 7th was a good as it was going to be today. We are strong in braking and entry but we need to find more grip on the edge of the rear tire. Once we do that then life will get much easier for us.”
Pedro Acosta, 9th and 10th in the championship standings: “The bike was working better but we need to understand why it is changing for us between the sessions. My race was more a handicap of high pressure in the front, once I controlled that I could move forward and pass other riders. I was catching Brad at the end but then had some arm-pump and it was hard to change direction in some corners. The only time I had arm-pump in my life was my first race in MotoGP. Normally I don’t have these things. I don’t think it is something important.”
Maverick Viñales, 13th and 17th in the championship standings: “It’s been an important weekend. We didn’t start as we wanted but we recovered a lot of information that brought us up to a better position. I rode the bike a lot better in the race and this gives us motivation for the next one because I think we found a way to go and I felt an improvement.”
Enea Bastianini, 18th and 13th in the championship standings: “My race finished very early! I was happy until that point because I made a good start and was fighting for 13th by the second lap…but, well, nothing but I was pushed out and I crashed. I came back on track and I wanted to finish the race to see my feeling. I didn’t have any wings on the left side but my pace was good. I was unlucky today.”
Aki Ajo, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Team Manager: “After a challenging Saturday we have to be happy for the progress we made for the Grand Prix race. We have to be positive about being in the top ten with both riders in our team but, of course, it is not what we want. After the extreme conditions in Thailand we have more important information here. It’s time for more analysis and to see what we can do in the short term for the next races.”
