– Maverick Vinales recently expressed his disappointment with KTM management in the media. In Assen, he stated that there would be “only one person to blame” if he had to leave MotoGP at the end of the 2026 season.
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At the Sachsenring, the Spaniard said that he had been sent a new contract in Mugello, which he signed even though “it was not to his advantage.” And “two weeks later” this contract was said to be “invalid.”
KTM motorsport chief Pit Beirer commented on Vinales’ statements at the Sachsenring. On Friday, he spoke extensively during the afternoon practice in the English TV broadcast of MotoGP.com.
“I mean, it’s no secret that we somehow hoped he would be one of the factory riders in the future, and so we discussed this last summer and opened that door and that discussion.”
Because Vinales, who rides for the Tech3 team, impressed in the first half of last season and was the benchmark among the four KTM riders. This applied not only to performance on the track but also to feedback for the engineers.
But then Vinales injured himself in the wet qualifying at the Sachsenring in a crash. He has ultimately suffered from the aftereffects of this injury to his left shoulder until today, as it takes time to rebuild strength.
“He told us: ‘Don’t worry about my health, I’ll come back,'” Beirer recalls. “That was last year in Spielberg, where he celebrated his first comeback.”
“Since then, we’ve been waiting week after week for him to get back into top form. Then there was a moment when we had the chance to get Alex [Marquez] and Fabio [Di Giannantonio].”
“And at that moment, Maverick was simply nowhere near showing us that he would return to his old form.” In spring 2026, Vinales had to undergo another shoulder operation.
Beirer: “A lot has gone terribly wrong”
When it became clear in winter 2025/26 that Pedro Acosta would move to Ducati for 2027, Vinales was considered his successor in the KTM factory team, provided he would recover and return to his top form.
“We wouldn’t need a better rider than Maverick was when he had that stupid crash in the rain right here a year ago,” says Beirer. “But from then on, a lot has gone terribly wrong.”
“We later told him there would be a place for him, but we couldn’t tell him where. It seems he underestimated that this could also be the team he is in today, where he showed great performances last year.”
So Vinales apparently assumed that he was set in the factory team. “I didn’t know that was so important to him,” says Beirer. “I mean, we are working to get both teams to a first-class level.”
“Especially now with Günther [Steiner]. Günther pushes so hard, together we can create a fantastic team for the future. And I mean, the rider market doesn’t get better by waiting.”
Beirer: Vinales says no to Tech3 seat
At Tech3, both seats for the coming year are still open. One of the two riders is supposed to be a rookie from Moto2 and probably one of the two IntactGP riders Senna Agius or Manuel Gonzalez.
The second rider should have MotoGP experience. Vinales was one of the candidates, but he had to regain his physical form. “I had to be shown something,” Beirer notes.
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“I also can’t just take a rider and say to Günther: ‘This is your rider now.’ I mean, we plan together. We have clearly decided that one of the two will be a young rider coming from Moto2.”
“And we want to have an experienced rider alongside, so I really feel sorry about the situation because we like Maverick so much, he is such a good guy. I don’t know why he says a clear no to something and gives us such a hard rejection.”
“So we have to clarify that. It’s not a nice situation, but it’s definitely not like we told him: ‘Please go.’ We started negotiations, and we still have a seat that we call a factory seat.”
“Because we see both teams as factory, so as four factory seats, so yes, that’s what I can say,” says Beirer. “I don’t want to tell contract details now and what happened and when and where, but it’s not a funny situation.”
“We started a very normal contract discussion. We already talked about numbers and such things, how the future could look, but then at some point something went wrong when he found out it wasn’t about the factory seat.”
Vinales: “I am telling the truth”
After the training, Vinales also spoke again about things from his perspective: “Yes, what I said is basically the truth of the situation and what happened. So that is the truth.”
“And I don’t want to hide the truth, because just like what happened at Yamaha, many people start saying that I have mental problems. No, I have nothing at all.”
“The problem is the teams pushing me to the absolute limit. With the things, with the decision. They know very well: If I feel that the team gives the maximum for me, I give a thousand percent for the team.”
“But as soon as they put me aside, it’s over for me. I have to feel that I am valuable for the project and for the team. That’s why I always said that I am really happy with the engineers because they give me the value I need.”
“Do you understand what I mean? That’s what I said, that I signed a contract that was really bad for my confidence, even for the future, do you understand?”
“But I trust the engineers. I trust the project. I don’t know if there is still an open door or not. We’ll see. But from my point of view, it’s hard to say anything.”
“I mean, after everything that happened, it’s hard to find a light, you know, to continue,” says Vinales. “But what I really want to do is forget all that, try to be positive, and come back strong after the summer.”
“So for the future, I have no idea. I really have no idea. At the moment, I understand that I am at home for next year. But in any case, I will give my maximum for the second part of the season.”
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Beirer also hopes that Vinales recovers during the summer break to be able to attack again properly in the long remaining season with many overseas races: “Let’s use the summer break to calm down, and maybe restart in a positive way afterwards.”
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