Maverick Vinales “mentally stronger” than ever after disrupted 2025 MotoGP campaign

Maverick Vinales believes he made a major breakthrough in his psychological approach during the 2025 MotoGP season, claiming he feels “mentally stronger” than at any point in his career.

Vinales left Aprilia at the end of last year to join Tech3 on a factory-spec KTM, partnering ex-Ducati rider Enea Bastianini in an all new line-up.

As KTM started the season on the back foot due to financial issues, Vinales gave the marque its first big sign of promise by provisionally finishing second in the Qatar GP, before a tyre-pressure infringement dropped him to 14th.

He backed that performance with two top-five finishes at Jerez and Le Mans, but his campaign was derailed by the first major injury of his MotoGP career — a left shoulder fracture sustained in a wet qualifying at the German Grand Prix.

The Spaniard ended up missing several races as he recovered at home, and later opted for another hiatus as his initial comeback didn’t go to plan. He eventually returned to action at the season-ending Valencia GP, still in significant discomfort, to close out the year and test an early prototype of KTM’s 2026 bike.

Reflecting on his disrupted campaign, Vinales said he was proud of the mental resilience he showed in the face of adversity — and believes the foundations he laid this year will pay off in 2026.

“It’s been a year where I’ve planted a lot of seeds, a year where I’ve grown a lot mentally,” he said in Valencia. “Of all the years I’ve been at MotoGP, it’s been the year I’ve been mentally stronger. That gives me a lot for next year. I’m really looking forward to next year. I want to improve and keep growing.

“Obviously, for all of us, the 24 riders who are in MotoGP, the goal is to win. But to win, you have to work hard. 

“And at the beginning of the year, it was very clear how we had to work. At the beginning of the season, I was the guy to convince them to keep working and to keep the faith. This was something new for me. I led them quite well. 

“KTM knows where to go. You have to help them as a rider. You have to be a good manager. We have to be on target. That’s very important. 

“It is very important for me now to work well and to recover myself and be full fit for February. But I think it’s time enough to work well.”

Injury helps Vinales understand RC16’s weaknesses

Vinales hadn’t made a full recovery when he returned to action for four rounds from the Catalunya GP in September, nor when he appeared again in the Valencia finale.

However, his physical limitations had an unintended upside, allowing him to pinpoint weaknesses in the bike that he previously masked.

“The curious thing is that before [the injury] I was over-riding all the problems. Now that I’m not able to over-ride the problems, I can feel it really well where we have to improve,” he explained.

“Before, if the bike didn’t stop, [it was] no problem. I put all the effort on every braking and I make it stop. But now that I have no strength, I can see very well where we have to improve.

“What I would like for next year to improve is the deceleration. For me, it seems that we use a lot of rear tyre [by] sliding [and] sliding.

“From my experience, this is not the way because then you overheat the tyres or the brakes, and then you don’t have grip on the exit of the corner. 

“My target is to try to make a bike more consistent so that you can hit the same marks and then you can work on the riding style.

“Now it’s not precise. One time you brake here, the bike slides, doesn’t slide; turn and doesn’t turn. So I would like to have a bike that you can be precise with.”

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— The Motorsport.com Team