The South African, younger brother of factory KTM race winner Brad, arrived in the premier class as the first rider since Jack Miller to jump straight from Moto3 to MotoGP.
Riding a year-old A-spec Yamaha, Binder has scored ten points to date – equaling the tally of factory-spec team-mate and former title runner-up Andrea Dovizioso – courtesy of a tenth place in the Mandalika rain and twelfth in the dry Catalunya race.
But with Suzuki leaving MotoGP, two seats are disappearing from the grid for 2023, when Razlan Razali’s team will also switch from Yamaha to Aprilia machinery.
Rumors suggest an all-new RNF line-up featuring Miguel Oliveira and possibly Binder’s fellow rookie Raul Fernandez, who has scored only five points for Tech3 KTM.
“Really, I expected to know by now,” Binder said of his future. “Up until now, I felt like maybe I’ve had a shot at keeping my seat. But at the same time, I know that there’s more riders than bikes [for 2023] at the moment and obviously I’m on the lower end of the list for sure. I’m not going to kid myself!
“So as of right now, if that [MotoGP] Opportunity is there, I’m hoping to know now, in this summer break, exactly what’s going on. And if the opportunity is not there, then obviously we’ll have to look into what options I have in Moto2.”
‘If I can go to Moto2, I’ll still be happy’
The 24-year-old, who has finished as the second-best Yamaha after world champion Fabio Quartararo in four races this year and is ranked third out of the five rookies, added:
“I think the team right now haven’t expected much more than what I’ve done. Maybe I’ve actually surprised them in some ways, because I think some guys maybe thought I was going to struggle more than I did.
“I’m doing my best. I’m just trying to make the most out of the opportunity I was given. And if it doesn’t work out, at the end of the day, like I said, if I can go to Moto2, I’ll still be happy. I’ll still be racing a motorcycle.
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“Even if I found out that I can’t stay [in MotoGP], I’m just going to really enjoy the second half of the year. I feel like I’ve still got a lot more to show and I want to go out there and achieve my goals, get in amongst the guys and have a good race.
“So right now I just want to try and make a little step in the summer break. Get a bit fitter, get a bit stronger and come out for the second half and just keep chipping away.”
‘Don’t try to make two steps, just stick with one!’
Binder made swift progress from 24th and last on the grid at Assen to reach 18th place, once again ahead of Morbidelli and Dovizioso, by lap 5. But crashed out on lap 9.
“I put my head down and I was feeling much better than I’d felt throughout the weekend,” Binder said. “I managed to go a couple tenths faster on the hard rear in the race than my qualifying lap on the soft. So I was getting there.
“But I made a mistake going into corner 9, just came in maybe a bit hot and lost the front. It’s really disappointing. I didn’t want to finish the first half of the season like this.
“Anyway, it is what it is, I could have played it safe and ridden around in the group of the guys behind me and I probably would have finished. But I just wanted a lot more than where I was at that moment.
“I need to just keep working at it and when weekends are tough like this, and I do make a good step in the race, don’t try to make two steps. Just stick with one, then next week try again!”
The second half of the world championship begins at Silverstone on August 5-7.