Maverick Vinales has gone public with his frustration at KTM, accusing the Austrian manufacturer of leaving his 2027 future unresolved while the rest of the MotoGP grid locks in its plans for the new 850cc era.
Speaking at Brno, where he is still working back to full fitness after the shoulder injury that has dogged him since last year's German Grand Prix crash, Vinales said a winter conversation about a factory promotion had quietly evaporated. "I've always shown my loyalty to KTM," he said. "During the winter, I was told I was in the factory team. Then at Tech3. And now I don't even know where I stand."
The Spaniard, contesting his 12th premier-class season and a race winner with Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia, is boxed in by a contract clause that, according to Motorsport.com, prevents him from signing elsewhere until the end of this month — the window KTM has to decide whether to keep him at satellite squad Tech3 for a third year or release him. "I could have signed with another team despite the restrictions I had in my contract, but I didn't," he said.
His irritation was sharpened by timing and fitness. "I could have sorted out my future during the winter, not now," he said. "The team is asking for results at a time when I'm injured. Maybe I can't perform at my maximum level right now, but I will be able to in two months." He insisted he was honouring the deal: "I have a contract that says I have to wait until a specific date. I'm not breaking any agreements. I just have to wait because there's no other option."
What stung most was learning through the press that KTM had picked Pedro Acosta — himself Ducati-bound for 2027 — ahead of him for Monday's post-race test of the 2027 prototype. "I found out through the media that I wouldn't be doing the test," Vinales said. "Not through the team."
KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer acknowledged the situation was uncomfortable while asking for patience. "I can understand his frustration," he told the official MotoGP broadcast at Brno. "But he also needs to understand a little bit our side that somehow we need to create the best possible package. We gave him a lot of time to come back, and there is nothing we want more than to have him back to normal form."
Beirer was at pains to stress that Vinales had not slipped down the order. "He was the only one of the four who really pushed the project forward [in 2025]. When he brought great results, that's how we got Pedro back," he said. "That's not forgotten, but looking into the future, we need to do the best for the Tech3 garage. It doesn't mean Maverick is not one of our favourite candidates. Just give us a little bit more time."
Part of the delay, Beirer said, is deference to Tech3's new boss Guenther Steiner, who wants to see Vinales closer to full health before committing — a rational stance that nonetheless leaves a proven race-winner waiting on a satellite seat as options vanish. Moto2 race winner Senna Agius and factory KTM rider Brad Binder are also linked with the 2027 Tech3 line-up, while Jack Miller and Alex Rins are among the other former winners hunting rides for the new era.
Vinales, for his part, says his ambitions remain firmly in grand prix racing. "I don't see myself in World Superbikes," he said. "In motorcycle racing, MotoGP is where I wanted to achieve everything. If I leave here, then it will be time to enjoy life."
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/vinales-says-ktm-has-left-him-in-limbo-over-motogp-future). Visit for full coverage.*