In case you didn’t know, MotoGP is going to look significantly different in 2027; not only are there completely new bikes, new engines and new tyres, but things are changing enormously on the rider front.
Of course, none of this is startling news, although maybe the length of time it has taken for all the pieces to fall into place is, given that we were talking about it before the season even began.
However, one piece of news cannot be passed over, even if it, again, comes as no surprise; it has finally been confirmed that Brad Binder’s time in MotoGP is over and he will make the jump to World Superbikes, joining ex-KTM teammate Miguel Oliveira at the official BMW squad.
If the 2026 WorldSBK season has been dominated by Nicolo Bulega – who is heading to MotoGP to join the VR46 Ducati team – let’s not forget that BMW won the previous two titles courtesy of Toprak Razgatlioglu, so Binder is jumping onto proven machinery. Of course, it will take him some time to adapt to the new bike and some unfamiliar circuits, but he’s not a MotoGP winner for nothing; he’ll take the transition in his stride.
Both MotoGP and WorldSBK grids will have a different look in 2027. Along with Binder, Jack Miller joins Pata Yamaha, and Franco Morbidelli is also in the running for Bulega’s Aruba.it Ducati seat.
In MotoGP, well, there’s a lot going on. Joan Mir and Dani Holgado join Gresini Ducati; Acosta joins Marc Marquez at the factory Ducati team, while Bagnaia goes to the factory Aprilia team. Jorge Martin heads to Yamaha, joining Ai Ogura, with Quartararo off to Honda, replacing Luca Marini, who’s heading to Tech3 KTM, while Moto2 star Izan Guevara joins Toprak at Pramac Yamaha. Bastianini joins Raul Fernandez at Trackhouse Aprilia, Alex Marquez heads to the KTM factory team, alongside DiGiannantonio. Senna Agius and Manuel Gonzales are fighting it out for the second Tech3 seat, and David Alonso is joining Honda.
Got all that? Good.
I’ve written about Brad Binder recently, about how his time in MotoGP is one of the big “what ifs” of recent MotoGP history. Assessing any rider’s time in the premier class is always difficult, as there are so many factors to consider, not least of which are both bike and personal development. It’s no secret that KTM has struggled to produce the machinery to allow Binder’s talent to shine, although Pedro Acosta has been able to perform miracles on the same machinery. But here’s the question: is it the same machinery? Has Brad been sacrificed at the altar of the Next-Big-Thing in MotoGP racing, or is that merely a conspiracy theory that fits the narrative of Binder fans?
In the grand scheme of things, it really doesn’t matter, does it? Brad leaves MotoGP with two wins under his belt, one of which was possibly the most ballsy gamble ever taken in a race; slick tyres on a soaking wet track is one thing, but slick tyres and no brakes on a wet track, with three laps left to run and a chasing pack of wet-tyred rivals forcing you to push harder than you want to, is quite another. It could have gone either way; branded an idiot for not coming in with the rest of the leading pack of which he was a part, or hailed as a hero for taking the gamble. Fortunately for him and us, it was the latter. There have been hundreds of Grand Prix riders and only a small percentage have won races; to be numbered among them not once, but twice, is a significant achievement.
There’s a large part of me that gets the feeling that Binder, Miller and Morbidelli (and possibly Rins) will really shake up the order in WorldSBK. Recent years have seen rather one-sided championships, thanks to the likes of Johnny Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Razgatlioglu and Bulega. With all this fresh, Grand Prix-winning blood coming in, we could be set for a humdinger season in 2027. Of course, a lot of it will be down to the machinery each manufacturer can offer, but it has always been thus. After a season in which one rider has won 26 out of 27 races so far, a bit of unpredictability is exactly what WorldSBK needs and who better to provide it than Binder, Miller and Morbidelli?
For now, we get to enjoy Brad Binder in MotoGP for the remainder of the season. Let’s hope that he can go out on a high with at least a podium or three, if not an outright win. I’m tempted to say, “thanks, Brad, for the memories”, but I don’t think we’ve had the best of him just yet. So, it’s “thanks, Brad, for the MotoGP memories; wishing you luck for 2027 and beyond.”
