Darryn Binder has been promoted to MotoGP directly from Moto3 for the 2022 season, under the RNF team, a Yamaha satellite. Ex-Petronas SRT Razlan Razali’s squad has opted to part ways with Yamaha for 2023, having failed to secure a long-term deal with the Japanese marque, and will become Aprilia’s first satellite team next year.
Binder, 24th of the 26 riders who scored points in 2022, with 12 points astride his M1 from a year ago, was seen as a “gamble” by the RNF team, which however hoped to develop it in a second year. However, in an exclusive interview with Autosport, Razali claims Binder lost his seat for 2023 to Raul Fernandez and Miguel Oliveira because he had a direct contract with Yamaha.
“Darryn’s promotion to MotoGP was a gamble, a risk both for us and for him,” said Razali. “But the plan was a long-term programme. It’s not certain that this year he should become like Fabio Quartararo. He wasn’t close, it was impossible. But we thought he had what it takes. And in a certain sense he has shown that he has the ability to ride MotoGP, but he was still learning.
“But you can’t do much in just one year, so the plan was to continue with Yamaha for more years and to continue with him. Unfortunately he was under contract with Yamaha. If he had a contract with us and we switched to Aprilia, we would have respected the agreement. But unfortunately the situation with Yamaha has not continued and he is a victim in this sense. But what he has done is really good, but again what can you expect from him after getting on from Moto3?”.
Razali says Binder hasn’t had “real development” on his 2021 Yamaha, but believes “for a rookie the bike was good enough.” The RNF team experienced a turbulent 2022 in its first year as a new entity, with Andrea Dovizioso retiring after the San Marino GP, while title sponsor WithU opted to fold for 2023. However, RNF secured the backing from cryptographic firm CryptoDATA, which sponsored this year’s Austrian Grand Prix.
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