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After racing in MotoGP with Suzuki, Yamaha, and Aprilia, Maverick Vinales has decided to take on a new challenge this 2025 and get on one of the two KTM RC16s fielded by the Tech3 team. So far, adapting to the Austrian bike has not been particularly easy for the Spanish rider, who still has a lot of work to do to be able to extract the full potential from his new mount. A process that will take time but one that does not frighten Maverick, who is focused and motivated ahead of the first race of the year and this new adventure with a brand he has known since his first seasons in MotoGP.
In fact, this is not the first time that the paths of KTM and Vinales have crossed, as it was precisely on a bike produced by the Mattighofen manufacturer that he became World Champion of the Moto3 class in 2013. A period in which the current 30-year-old did not lack support from KTM, although he was then racing for a private team such as Team Calvo.
"I had the feeling that KTM gave me a lot of support. Even though there were official teams, the battle between us was clean and that allowed me to become World Champion," Vinales recalled, as reported by our colleagues at Motorsport.com.
It was precisely the fairness of KTM that was one of the reasons that prompted 'Top Gun' to give the Champion's medal he won that year to Pit Beirer, the Austrian manufacturer's director of Motorsport. A nice backstory revealed by the Spanish rider himself, talking about the bond he shares with the former German rider.
"I always thought that this medal should go to someone else, and this person was Pit. So I gave it to him. It was an honor for me," Maverick admitted, "I remember very well the moment I handed it to him in 2013, and when I came back to the factory, I immediately saw the medal in his office. It's the kind of thing that brings people together and it's very important. The bond I have now with Pit is probably why I'm here, why I'm working and trying to build something great in this team, why I have so much confidence. All in all, the reason I chose KTM is because I have confidence and I know we can do an incredible job."
Signing with the Mattighofen-based manufacturer laid the groundwork for a homecoming of sorts for Vinales, who was immediately comfortable within the Tech3 team and the large KTM family.
"I think the approach was easy. It's not the first experience I had with the people at Tech3, because they were the satellite team when I was at Yamaha, so it helped me to have something to share. Also, it's easy for me because everyone is focused on the work, which is very important," Maverick said, "I've always been in contact with KTM and Red Bull, it's a place I've been to before so it feels familiar. Since I was a kid I've seen them in motocross, in racing.... It's a dream team for me and I feel very good about it. When I'm at home and I'm wearing the cap, the team shirt, I feel confidence and, I don't know why, but I feel a fire inside me. As an athlete and as a rider, it is very important to feel this connection with the brand and the colors you wear."
Maverick's morale is high, notwithstanding the difficult period facing the Austrian manufacturer. "It's great to be back with the brand. I know very well what their goal is, because I know the KTM DNA," he added, " I know what I have to do and I'm prepared for what's ahead."
