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Maverick Vinales open to one rider replacing Brad Binder at KTM in 2027
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- Maverick Vinales open to one rider replacing Brad Binder at KTM in 2027
Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images
Brad Binder's KTM future uncertain as Acosta closes in on Ducati move
Even though the arrival of Pedro Acosta at Ducati seems likely, Brad Binder's future is also far from certain, with KTM potentially overhauling their entire factory line-up for the 2027 MotoGP season.
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Both riders' contracts with KTM run until the end of 2026, but while Acosta has already made it clear that he plans to join Ducati after this season, there's no urgency from KTM to secure Binder's signature beyond next year.
KTM already appear to have a succession plan in place. Maverick Vinales is set to step up from Tech3 into the factory squad for 2027.
KTM had already spoken to Vinales about his plans as far back as October, even telling him then that he would be joining their works MotoGP team in 2027. The Spaniard impressed them with his early results on the RC16 after joining Tech3 in 2025 before his season was disrupted by a shoulder injury.
Maverick Vinales open to teaming up with Alex Marquez at KTM if Brad Binder is replaced
Photo by Samuel de Roman/Getty Images
Gresini rider Alex Marquez has reportedly caught the attention of KTM as a potential replacement for Binder, should they decide to make a change. GPOne reports that the 29-year-old could be considering a move into a factory MotoGP team for the next phase of his career, and that KTM could be an option.
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Ducati is expected to give Marquez a factory-spec bike for 2026 at Gresini after his second-place finish behind brother Marc in 2025. However, he remains under contract exclusively with the satellite team, and that deal runs out at the end of 2025.
KTM took notice of what Marquez accomplished in 2025 and are considering pairing him with Viñales to form an all-Spanish line-up in 2027. And if Binder does end up being replaced by Marquez, Vinales has no problem having him as a teammate.
Alex Marquez's 2025 breakthrough coincided with Brad Binder's worst year in MotoGP
Binder has spoken highly of Vinales, calling him an "incredible rider" and noting that his decision to bring Jorge Lorenzo on board as a performance coach should help him reach another level in 2026. Lorenzo, the three-time world champion, will be working with Vinales across the board – physically, strategically and technically.
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But if Binder is going to stick around beyond the end of his current deal, he knows he'll need to show a lot more. He called the 2025 season the "toughest year" he's ever had on a bike, and it left plenty of questions about whether KTM will keep him around.
Binder dropped to P11 in the championship with just 155 points and didn't step onto a Grand Prix podium for the first time in his MotoGP career. Acosta finished as KTM's top rider in P4 with 307 points while Marquez finished second overall for Gresini on a year-old Ducati.
Marquez also claimed his maiden Grand Prix win at Jerez before adding further victories at Catalunya and Malaysia later in the season. Only Marc Marquez won more races than Alex across the campaign while no KTM rider took a single Grand Prix victory.
