Viñales and the missed turning point: Chicho Lorenzo reveals he trained with him for just five days

It was supposed to be Maverick Viñales’ technical breakthrough, but it lasted less than a week. Chicho Lorenzo, Jorge’s father and longtime mentor, revealed that his work with the Spanish rider amounted to just four or five days of training. Far too little, according to the Mallorcan coach, to change riding habits built up over years of racing.

Viñales had turned to the Lorenzos in a bid to take a step forward with KTM, and images of the training sessions had raised expectations. But Chicho’s comments on the Fast & Curious podcast significantly play down the scope of that collaboration.

For Chicho, it all comes down to repetition. Learning a movement is not enough: it must be repeated until it becomes second nature, especially when established reflexes built over a career need to be replaced. "At first, he came to train for four or five days, no more. That’s very little. It takes 21 days of practice to change a habit," he explained.

Those 21 days should be understood as part of his teaching method, not as a scientific law. Still, they convey the gap between the stated goal—adjusting the riding style of an experienced MotoGP rider—and the time actually devoted to it.

There is also some background to the story: the idea did not come from Chicho. It was his son Jorge Lorenzo who pushed for the collaboration. "I wasn’t particularly convinced, but my son insisted, so I said, fine, let’s give it a try," the coach admitted.

Once they got started, the work focused on the fundamentals and followed a gradual approach: Viñales tried the new techniques on the KTM, then came back to report what was actually working. According to Chicho, Maverick had noticed an improvement in his confidence on corner entry. It was a positive sign, and it came just as the programme was cut short.

Chicho does not accuse Viñales of lacking commitment. The rider’s injury and the start of the season brought everything to a halt. "Then he got injured, the season began, so we couldn’t continue and our collaboration came to an end," he said.

The circumstances explain why the work stopped, but the fundamental question remains: could such a profound change really take shape in just a few days? And above all, given the early signs of greater confidence on corner entry, will Viñales return to the Lorenzos to finish the job?

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