Pablo Nieto defends Vinales: "He is an exceptional talent"

– The future of Maverick Vinales in MotoGP is becoming increasingly uncertain. After the fallout with KTM and Tech3, a season marked by injuries, and hardly any available seats for 2027, the ten-time MotoGP race winner seems to be facing the end of his time in the premier class.

Read more Charles Leclerc surprises Hamilton with prank: Ferrari video goes viral

Of all people, Pablo Nieto, team principal of the VR46 team and a longtime companion of the Spaniard, has now emphatically explained why a rider with Vinales’ extraordinary talent could end up in such a situation.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, Nieto recalls the time with Vinales, whom he accompanied in 2013 on the way to the Moto3 World Championship title. For the son of the Spanish motorcycle legend Angel Nieto, there is no doubt that the 31-year-old is one of the greatest natural talents of his generation.

“He is one of the most talented riders I have ever seen in my life,” says Nieto. At the same time, he is convinced that Vinales has mainly lacked one thing in the past two years: luck. “He just had bad luck with his injuries.”

Nieto: Injuries can change everything

According to Nieto, MotoGP is a business that hardly knows patience. Those who miss races and do not deliver results quickly fall out of sight.

“Unfortunately, in this sport and actually in almost all sports, only what you showed in the last race counts,” explains the VR46 team manager. He expresses the consequences of longer injury breaks particularly clearly: “If you miss races due to an injury, people here forget you within a day.”

Photo gallery: The career highlights of Maverick Vinales

Exactly that has happened to Vinales. Because the shoulder injury he suffered last summer severely hampered the start of the 2026 season and even forced him to undergo surgery, the Spaniard fell behind precisely at the time when the rider market for 2027 was moving rapidly.

While other riders signed their contracts, Vinales initially fought for his physical fitness and thus fell behind in the rider market.

Read more McLaren explains Hungary strategy: Between hope for victory and papaya rules

“Practically no one talks about him anymore”

For Nieto, it is therefore understandable why Vinales is now hardly considered a serious candidate for a MotoGP cockpit next year: “Practically no one talks about you anymore, and that might be exactly what happened to him.”

It was not a lack of talent but the unfortunate timing of his injuries that put Vinales in this situation. Added to this is the increasingly tense relationship with KTM.

Vinales recently publicly stated that he had signed a contract that was “bad for my confidence” and was later declared invalid by KTM. In several interviews, he sharply criticized the manufacturer and Tech3.

Understanding for Vinales and his frustration

Nieto emphasizes that he has not spoken extensively with Vinales about his situation. Nevertheless, the experienced team manager can understand his frustration.

“If then the results are also missing and you feel uncomfortable neither with the team nor with the motorcycle – that is my personal assessment, because I have not talked much with him about it – then he is, as he himself says, probably just a little burned out,” Nieto suspects.

This statement aligns with the Spaniard’s own remarks. At the Sachsenring, he openly said that he felt “burned out” and complained that, precisely in the most difficult phase of his career, he received mainly criticism instead of support.

The outlook for 2027 therefore looks difficult. KTM has already reorganized its factory team, and most other manufacturers and teams have largely completed their rider planning. Only a few seats are still considered open, which has shrunk Vinales’ options to a minimum.

Read more Driver ratings Budapest: Fourth place for Nico Hülkenberg after first Audi points