It’s official: Maverick Vinales will join KTM Tech3 in 2025. The arrival of Jorge Martin within the Noale firm will reshuffle the cards, that’s a certainty. But for all that, no one saw coming this famous move carried out by KTM management and Hervé Poncharal’s troops. Is this a good move? Who is the winner in this matter? An analysis is required.
The attraction of Pedro Acosta
First of all, let’s take a look at the role of Pedro Acosta. As I said in a previous paper, his passage through the box Tech3 will not have been without added value. Thanks to his talent, he managed to restore weight to the team, which had lost some weight in previous years. Tech3 is attractive, and the signing of Vinales (as well as that of Enea Bastianini to which we will return later) shows to what extent this formation has a big role to play on the chessboard.
Vinales said stop. Photo: Michelin Motorspsort
A strange transfer
Before looking at Tech3’s point of view, let’s look at the side of Maverick Vinales. And to be completely honest, I struggle to understand this choice. This leads me to say that we are far from being aware of everything. From what we know, “Top Gun” was not informed of the arrival of Jorge Martin on its team. Is this the cause of discord? If we present the situation like that, it is meager. And this is precisely what raises questions.
Maverick Vinales is walking away from the project after he has just won his first Grand Prix with the RS-GP, and in what way. His start to the season is good, even very good,
much better than that of Aleix Espargaro
(who has never been beaten in a year by a teammate at Aprilia, since 2017), as well as all the other riders on the Italian machines. At the time of writing, he is in sixth place in the championship, just one point behind Pedro Acosta and 15 points behind Enea Bastianini, his future cubicle neighbor.
The KTM is a good machine, and it is true that the Mattighofen brand has also been on very good momentum in recent years. But given the results, I really don’t think the Austrian is better than the Aprilia. This season, it’s particularly glaring. Only the genius Pedro Acosta manages to make it work, and even then, he is more discreet on Sundays these days. Brad Binder, elite driver, has a hard time remembering 2023. We know the resilience of KTM and their unfailing determination, as does the Tech3 institution. But I didn’t see him leaving the position of factory rider at Aprilia to take on this new challenge in MotoGP.
Vinales looks towards other horizons. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
These arguments make me say, once again, that there is undoubtedly an element of which we are not aware. It seems too fast, too surprising for it to be natural.
I will have the opportunity to come back to it, but that does not mean, in my mind, that he will miss his shot. Tech3 represents a great opportunity, it’s a reliable, valiant team. The KTM will undoubtedly improve, and even if I imagine that he will have difficulty adapting again (it took him a while to tame the Aprilia), I find that his profile fits well with the status of pilot satellite.
Tech3 should be careful
There is no need to look any further. For the French team,
Maverick Vinales represents a relatively little-known driver profile, it’s true, but which remains intrinsically very fast. It’s a nice shot. His irregularity in performance can only be forgiven in a privateer, even if KTM undoubtedly considers Tech3 as a sort of second official team.
I don’t think he’s going to rock the house, because he is getting old too – he will be 30 next year, and his best years are undoubtedly behind him. He demonstrated, unfortunately, his inability to embody a project, to instill a positive dynamic within a brand, particularly at Yamaha and Aprilia, to a lesser extent.
As good as he may be on a day that smiles on him, Maverick Vinales remains (and will remain, in my opinion) this ultimate question, one of the biggest “what ifs” in motorcycling history. Since his victory in Austin, the king of history has been much more discreet, completely absent from the debates for two races. He’s already performed on three different machines, so I don’t see why he couldn’t do it on four. He’s a good choice from KTM and Tech3, for sure, because he has a lot of experience and the ability to make the difference a few times a year. But I think that even those involved in this transfer do not see him as a benchmark veteran driver who will come and tickle the officials regularly.
In the space of a few months, everyone forgot about Augusto Fernandez. And that’s a shame. Photo: Michelin Motorsport
Conclusion
If we look only at the results, Maverick Vinales is a loser, in fact. The KTM has regressed at the start of the 2024 season, while a new wind is blowing at Aprilia, which will be able to be proud of having one of the best riders in the world under its awning next year. But given the missing elements, it would be unfair to criticize his decision.
Tech3 represents a good way out, yes, probably not the best, but which is part of a certain sporting logic. The French team therefore swaps Augusto Fernandez for Vinales (or Bastianini for Acosta, as you wish).
So she is a winner. Will it change the destiny of KTM? Probably not, but he can at least aim for some good results; he has the talent for that.
What did you think of this surprise signing?
Tell us in the comments!
As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.
Cover photo: Michelin Motorspsort
