– “The mood, I don’t know,” says Maverick Vinales at the start of the MotoGP race weekend at the Sachsenring. “I think if the team had had confidence, you know, KTM, the mood would have been completely different.”
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The Austrian brand is relying on the rider pairing Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio for the 2027 season. In the Tech3 team, there will also be no place for Brad Binder or Vinales in the future.
Vinales already expressed his frustration two weeks earlier in Assen. In the Netherlands, the Spaniard made it clear that it is KTM’s fault if he does not race in MotoGP next year.
“The thing is,” Vinales explains his view at the Sachsenring, “after Montmelo KTM told me that… Well, told me, no. I knew from the media that Di Giannantonio would take my place in this case, let’s put it that way.”
“And then KTM, when I arrived in Mugello, sent me a contract. Let’s say, by email, and I signed it. Okay, it really wasn’t very good. But I definitely wanted to race.”
“I really believe in the engineers who are at KTM. That’s why I signed it, even though it was really against my own interest. And after two weeks they said this contract was completely invalid,” Vinales recounts.
“What can you expect after that? I mean, I don’t want to stay here. That was really not serious on their part. That’s why I’m really burned out from this world of motorsport.”
When asked if he has since spoken with KTM management and motorsport chief Pit Beirer, Vinales replies: “No, not anymore. I think last week were the last conditions. After that, I haven’t spoken to them anymore.”
Steiner stays out: “It’s a KTM contract”
Tech3 CEO Günther Steiner emphasizes that it is a matter between KTM and Vinales and that he stays out of this issue. The South Tyrolean says he has never read Vinales’ contract.
“I don’t try either because I have nothing to do with his contract,” says Steiner. “It’s a KTM contract. I try not to comment. I love to comment, you know that.”
“But I can’t form an opinion on it. I usually don’t read many articles, but I saw the headlines and thought: I hope I’m not in the middle of this, because it has nothing to do with me or Tech3.”
“It’s a contract between Maverick and KTM, and I don’t know what was done there. And if people tell me what they did, then I would have to check if that’s true or not, but that’s not my position.”
“I like to stay out of this matter and let them sort it out among themselves, because honestly, I don’t know his contract. I’ve never seen it, and by the way, I don’t want to see it either.”
Vinales and Binder not an option for Tech3 in 2027
It is almost certain that Vinales will not race for the Tech3 team next year. “Somehow I think that given the situation we just discussed, it is very difficult to arrange that,” Steiner explains.
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“Because it’s not a good situation. I mean, when you go against each other in the press. In the end, we will continue to work with KTM in the future, so we have to do something so that he also feels comfortable.”
“And I don’t think he feels comfortable in this stable. But at the moment, as I said, we are talking to a few riders, and we haven’t made a decision yet.”
For a similar reason, Binder is also not an option as a rider for Steiner: “There is also a long history there, and sometimes you have to start fresh to not carry too much old baggage.”
“I mean, we talk all the time about these difficult situations, and in the end, we have to, I call it, be a happy team that looks forward,” says Steiner, because 2027 should represent a fresh start for Tech3.
“We don’t want any … how do you say … old ballast, you know, no old ballast. We want a fresh start, and that’s why maybe it doesn’t fit with people who have been connected to the group for too long.”
“Because you keep thinking about how it was in the old days. Sometimes you need a fresh start,” says the South Tyrolean. For both Binder and Vinales, the recent decisions by KTM mean their MotoGP farewell.
Vinales is “burned out” from MotoGP
Vinales hints at the Sachsenring that he could completely withdraw from motorcycle racing at the end of the year, as he feels “burned out” from all the events.
“I don’t know. I think I’ve done everything I could in motorcycle racing. So I’m not sure,” says the 31-year-old. “Obviously, there may be good opportunities, or not. I don’t know.”
Photo gallery: The career highlights of Maverick Vinales
“I’m not even looking for it. Maybe I want to race and compete to enjoy racing. But at the moment, I’m not looking for anything. I’m looking for an extended vacation.”
“I love racing, I love motocross. I would like to, maybe in the future, race different events. Recently I watched Jack [Miller] at the 8 Hours in Suzuka, and I think that’s really cool.”
“So, yes, I would like to do something else,” says Vinales, but he has had enough of MotoGP: “I think I’m burned out from this world at the moment. So I don’t think I will continue.”
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Vinales has raced in MotoGP since 2015 for Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia, and Tech3-KTM. With the factory teams of Suzuki, Yamaha, and Aprilia, he won races and celebrated a total of ten victories. Twice he finished third in the world championship with Yamaha. In 2013, Vinales became Moto3 world champion.
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