Brad Binder: ‘I could not believe the lap times we were doing’

After qualifying in the middle of the second row, Binder managed to launch his KTM intro fourth before sliding up the inside of Francesco Bagnaia at turn one.

Binder then completed another pass on teammate Jack Miller later on in the lap before attempting to hunt down Jorge Martin.

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A gap of half a second separated the two for large parts of the race before Martin eventually pulled clear.

Talking about his race, Binder said: “I had a great start and dived into Turn 1 past a couple of guys on the inside. 

“My plan was to get up to the front straightaway but the pace was incredible and I could not believe the lap-times we were doing. 

“It was a good race though and I’m happy to be back on the podium. My boys did an amazing job and my bike has worked better than it has all year so let’s try again tomorrow.”

On the other side of the garage, Miller was back in form at a circuit that’s one of his favourites.

Winner of the 2022 Japanese grand prix for Ducati, Miller was third for much of the 12-lap race before being overtaken late on by Bagnaia.

“That felt good,” said Miller. “It was nice fighting with these boys. I ran into a little bit of an issue with the right side of the tire, especially the front, and was struggling to stop the bike, so I was doing what I could to protect my position. 

“Finally, I had a little moment at the bottom of the hill and that opened the door. Generally, the bike is working really well and I’m happy with the performance. 

“If we could just tidy-up a few little things and also my riding can be a bit better then I think we can do a really top job tomorrow.”