Maverick Vinales: Stay at Aprilia with Martin? “I’d made up my mind” | “Shocked after Austin”

Maverick Vinales sprung one of the surprises of the 2025 MotoGP rider market when he elected to walk away from his race-winning factory Aprilia seat to join Tech3 KTM.

The Spaniard, who became the first MotoGP rider to win on three different brands of bike with his Aprilia victory at COTA this year, was initially tipped to stay alongside new signing Jorge Martin.

Instead, the 29-year-old chose a future in orange, where he will aim to add to his Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia victory tally.

“Basically, one of the main reasons is because I follow my instinct,” said Vinales, speaking about his 2025 team change at Assen on Thursday.

“I see a little bit what’s going to be in the future, the bike to be on, and I felt that [KTM] was the correct move.

“Then obviously seeing the potential I can achieve, like in Austin, and not being able to do it in more races means something. So also that was a big weight on my decision.

“I bet everything on performance and on riding, and that [KTM] was I think the best choice I could do, for a project and also in terms of competition.”

Vinales is currently sixth in the world championship, directly behind the top KTM of current Tech3 rider Pedro Acosta, with Ducatis filling the top four places.

Vinales: ‘After Austin, I was a little bit shocked’

Vinales revealed he had been mulling an Aprilia exit ‘since Jerez’, the event after his perfect double win in Austin. 

The Spaniard has finished 9th, 5th, 12th and 8th in the GPs following COTA.

“My decision, to be honest, I was thinking about it since Jerez. That I didn't feel really to continue because as I mentioned after Austin, I was a little bit shocked, that what I'm able to do, but only one race from 20 I don't like.

“I would like to do it much more because I think I can.

“And actually I was really thinking a lot on that and obviously, the [rider] market moves so fast. I wanted to be a little bit more calm, arrive to the summer and decide with a lot of time.

“But seeing that also Aprilia was quite fast signing Jorge and obviously it could be a really good team - Jorge and Maverick - but I already made up my mind earlier than Mugello.

“I'm happy for the team for sure that they will have Martin and Marco [Bezzecchi]. So yeah, good luck.”

Vinales didn’t want to be drawn on why he feels KTM offers a brighter future than Aprilia, his home since a mid-2021 split from Yamaha.

“It's hard to understand who is doing better or worse, and also it's not good that I say who is better or worse… I cannot judge anyone," he said.

“But I just try to understand what is going to be the best for me. And I see that very clear.

“It's hard to say something else because my decision is made by trying to understand who, in the championship, is going to be the next [top] bike. 

"And I feel like this, so that's why, that's the reason.”

Vinales will be joined at Tech3 by another factory-to-satellite signing in the form of Enea Bastianini, who has lost his Ducati seat to Marc Marquez.

The future Tech3 riders have been assured of equal status to the factory KTM team of Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta.

“One phrase I read from that [Pit Beirer] interview was, ‘whoever is in front will be the [KTM team] leader’. So the track will talk. He's right, you cannot say anything else!” said Vinales.