Maverick Vinales has been one of the biggest shocks of the 2025 MotoGP season so far after threatening for race victories over the last few races.
After a miserable start to the campaign, the Spaniard burst into life at the Grand Prix of Qatar by challenging for victory out of nowhere on a KTM bike which had been otherwise poor.
Vinales found a similar vein of form in the following race at Jerez, affirming that he had found a way to extract more pace than anyone on the RC16 machine.
It’s strange that Tech3 have beaten the factory team to extracting more pace from their bike first, but it does at least show them that it has potential.
Vinales says Pedro Acosta has the most ‘desire’ at KTM due to his age, but his performances suggest otherwise. The 30-year-old has shown everyone else up.
Despite being a bit impatient at times, KTM are ‘super happy’ with Vinales, who moved from Aprilia’s factory team over the winter.
READ MORE: KTM will absolutely love what Maverick Vinales said after Qatar Grand Prix despite losing podium
Maverick Vinales has told Herve Poncharal that he has ‘never felt so good’ on a MotoGP bike in 2025
Currently sitting 15th in the riders’ championship, Vinales would be considerably higher without a 16-second post-race tyre penalty in Qatar which stripped him of a second place.
In fact, he would be in eighth place, higher than any other KTM rider despite being on a satellite bike this season.
New boss Herve Poncharal has been delighted with his performances across the first five races, and revealed to GPOne his current feelings on the bike.
“He shows that you can be a world championship leader even at 30+,” he said. “Maverick assured me that he has never felt so good on the bike, and never so hungry and ambitious.
“He enjoys riding the KTM RC16. That was very clear in Doha, too. He loves the bike, the factory, and the team. That wasn’t necessarily foreseeable during the winter.”
READ MORE: Brad Binder explains what he must now do to ‘make the leap’ to catch KTM teammate Maverick Vinales
How KTM managed to convince Maverick Vinales to join them in 2025
Vinales’ current KTM deal runs until the end of 2026, where it’s uncertain whether the Austrian manufacturer will remain in MotoGP ahead of new regulations in 2027.
After joining the Tech3 outfit, he bought shares in KTM and has stuck through a tricky period for the team.
His faith in them has been rewarded, and if his recent pace is anything to go by, he should be in contention for the top five at every race onwards.
The allure of a multi-year deal was what helped pull Vinales from Aprilia, who have suffered a miserable start to 2025 and are last in the constructors’ standings.
However, with upgrades on the way and riders settling in elsewhere, remaining at the front could prove to be a tough gig for the rest of the season.
