Maverick Vinales Aims for Historic Fourth Manufacturer Win After Announcing KTM Switch: A High-Stakes Gamble for Glory

Maverick Vinales expressed, "It's a risk – I aim to be the first to secure victories on four different motorcycles. With my wins, I've come full circle, hence achieving my goal with Aprilia."

Maverick Vinales believes that among all the teams, Aprilia stands the best chance to compete against Ducati in MotoGP. However, he thinks that switching to KTM offers him the greatest opportunity for championship success.

Earlier this year, Vinales revealed his decision to join Tech3 KTM, a move that came as quite a shock especially after the Spanish racer's initial win with Aprilia at the Americas Grand Prix in April.

Vinales' victory in Texas positioned him as the first racer since Loris Capirossi to secure wins in the premier class riding for three distinct manufacturers (previously with Suzuki and Yamaha, and now with Aprilia). Should he triumph with KTM, the #12 would stand alone in uniqueness.

"Vinales expressed to MotoGP.com, as the Austrian Grand Prix weekend approaches, his belief that he could be the first ever to achieve victory on four different motorcycles. 'Clearly, it’s a meaningful goal,' he stated."

Vinales expressed that his choice to transition was based on gut feeling. "It's a risk, my actions, yet I have faith in my own abilities and my intuition tells me to pursue it. I'm not scared."

Vinales credits his intuition, along with his Grand Prix win in Texas and the Sprint victories in both Texas and Portugal, as the key factors that led him to make the decision to depart.

"Vinales stated, "Achieving those wins meant I've accomplished what I set out to do with Aprilia, so in my view, my mission there is complete. This gives me the complete freedom to move on."

The 2013 Moto3 World Champion shared that his decision to leave was influenced more by his struggle to replicate the performances that led to his wins, rather than the triumphs alone.

He expressed, "It seems like there's always something preventing me from shining as brightly as I did in Austin. Finding what that is has become my motivation. Essentially, my decision to join Tech3 KTM was driven by this search."

Looking back at his tenure with Aprilia, Vinales was thankful to the Noale-based company for welcoming him when Yamaha decided to part ways with him midway through 2021.

"Undoubtedly, I deeply appreciate the chance Aprilia has offered me," he expressed. "It brings me great joy. Every day, I assure them of my commitment to exert my utmost effort and significantly contribute in the latter half of the season. My aim is to enhance the bike for the upcoming season, and I'm sincerely dedicated to making it happen."

"Additionally, I'm aiming for positive outcomes, and I believe Aprilia shares this goal with me, ready to collaborate closely."

However, there was perplexity regarding the duration it took for him to reach the pinnacle position on the RS-GP.

"He expressed confusion over the delay in his success with Aprilia, stating, "Given that the bike performed exceptionally well in 2022 and Aleix [Espargaro] had an impressive season, it's baffling that I couldn't achieve similar results, and the reason eludes me."

"In 2023, we brought Manuel [Cazeaux, Vinales' crew chief] onboard, and it was then we discovered certain setup aspects were clashing with my riding approach, causing me significant difficulty. However, once we addressed these issues [made changes to remove the obstacles for Vinales], our performance significantly improved, leading to positive outcomes."

Vinales acknowledged that remaining with Aprilia could have been a simpler choice compared to the one he ultimately made.

"To maintain positive outcomes, perhaps staying with Aprilia would make things simpler. I consider this because I'm familiar with the motorcycle, the team, and I'm confident in my ability to achieve great things."

Nonetheless, the Spanish rider believes that KTM represents his best chance at contending for the championship.

He expressed, "To me, whether it's fifth or seventh place in the championship doesn't make a difference. My goal is to lead, and whether that's achievable with KTM remains uncertain."

Vinales is looking forward to the last 10 races with Aprilia, aiming to recapture the winning performance he demonstrated in Austin this April.

Vinales expressed his interest in figuring out why, within Europe, Ducati was the only brand to make significant progress while others, including his team, did not. He is eager to see if, in the latter half of the season, his team can catch up and return to the competitive form they showed at the season's start, likening their initial performance to launching like a rocket. He believes in the potential and capabilities of his team to compete at a high level again.

Discussing the distinctions between Aprilia and Ducati, Vinales highlighted that it is the race rhythm, as opposed to sheer velocity, that stands as the strength for the Bologna-based manufacturer.

"I believe the major distinction lies in their ability to maintain steady, impressive lap times, particularly during races. Our performance tends to drop in the latter half."

Despite his departure from the Noale-based team, Vinales believes Aprilia remains the sole competitor capable of taking on Ducati, with the Spanish rider aiming for a top-three finish in the championship standings.

"I believe that by being resilient and collaborating effectively, we can pose a significant challenge to them; that's our goal. I feel we're uniquely positioned to achieve this."

"It's important to remember that we're among the top five [in the championship], and ending with a top three finish would be amazing. Perhaps I'm being overly optimistic, considering I have to outperform some very significant competitors, but it would indeed be awesome."

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