KTM-Vinales tension, Tech3 asks for time: "I don't know where I'll go

With the curtain fallen on the Brno GP, attention in the MotoGP paddock shifts to the rider market. Ducati has officially renewed Marc Marquez, and the other announcements will arrive soon. The grid for the 2027 season is almost set, with only two seats left to assign. Among them is the KTM Tech3 team seat, with Maverick Vinales at risk of being left out of the game.

During the weekend in the Czech Republic, negotiations continued between teams and rider managers over new contracts. Vinales has asked for greater clarity from the Mattighofen manufacturer, which in turn is asking for patience, leaving him hanging by a thread. The Catalan rider has been struggling for almost a year with a shoulder injury that hasn’t fully healed. This has seriously compromised his performance, casting doubt on his future in MotoGP.

Maverick is at a dead end, with the factory seats already assigned. There are a few spots left in the satellite teams, but the KTM rider demands honesty from the Austrian higher-ups. "In the winter they told me I was on the factory team... then at Tech3, and now I don’t even know where I’ll go. I could have signed with someone, despite the restrictions I had in my contract, and I didn’t," Vinales told the media present in Brno.

Tension is rising, because time is passing and there are no encouraging signals coming from Tech3. "It’s almost July and I still don’t know anything about my future, so I think KTM is quite late." In reality, the customer team is also considering Luca Marini, another big name who risks being left on the sidelines of MotoGP in 2027. Especially after Raul Fernandez was confirmed at Trackhouse.

Pit Beirer, KTM’s motorsport director, stepped in to try to calm tempers while defending the company’s stance. "I can understand his frustration," he explained in Brno. "He also needs to understand our point of view, namely the need to build the best possible rider line-up." Beirer emphasizes how the company has been very patient with Vinales’ physical problems. "We’ve given him all the time he needed to recover, and we want nothing more than to have him back at his best. Today, for example, he’s doing very well. If he continues like this, he might become one of the Tech3 guys."

In reality, the new boss Guenther Steiner has taken full control of Tech3 and wants to do things his way. The new management prefers not to rush and to wait for the rider market to evolve over the coming months. "We agreed to wait a bit before making a final decision, because many rider contracts in this paddock have already been finalized. We have the chance to decide more calmly, and this gives all parties involved the opportunity to prove their worth."

KTM has several names on its list for 2027, when the new era of 850cc bikes will begin. Senna Agius, who is achieving good results in Moto2, and Brad Binder are two of the riders on the list along with Vinales and Marini. Meanwhile, the KTM factory team has already set its new line-up for next year with Alex Marquez and Fabio Di Giannantonio.

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