MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo wonders why Maverick Vinales can’t achieve a title when riders with less talent have done so in the premier class. Last month, Lorenzo revealed that he would be serving as a rider coach for Vinales.
Vinales began his MotoGP career in 2015 after only one year in Moto2 and was quickly seen as a future world champion. However, despite racing for Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia, and now KTM’s Tech3 team, he has only accumulated 10 wins. He joined MotoGP in 2017 by taking over Lorenzo’s spot at Yamaha, but the Japanese manufacturer let him go in mid-2021. During his three full seasons with Aprilia, Vinales managed just a single Grand Prix victory. He started 2025 as KTM’s lead rider, but an injury halfway through the season hindered his performance on the RC16.
The mentorship between Lorenzo and Vinales is expected to boost Vinales’ success, despite Lorenzo previously describing him as “horrible” after he moved to Yamaha in 2017. Lorenzo also believes that riders with less talent than Vinales have still been able to compete for titles, so there’s no reason Vinales can’t follow suit.
Lorenzo said on a podcast, “He was one of my five or six toughest rivals, especially after I switched to Yamaha. Following the 2017 Sepang test, he became intimidating. When it comes to talent, Maverick is among the top four or five. I’d compare him with myself, Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, and Casey Stoner. In terms of raw speed, he has nothing to envy. Perhaps only Casey Stoner has something extra in pure talent. But there’s nothing he lacks compared to Rossi, Pedrosa, Marquez, or me. I always tell him: If riders with less talent and natural speed can fight for a world championship, then why can’t he?”
Fan Take: This development is exciting for MotoGP fans because having a legendary champion like Jorge Lorenzo coaching Vinales could unlock the untapped potential of a talented rider who has yet to reach his full peak. It signifies a promising future and raises the stakes for fierce competition in upcoming seasons, potentially reshaping the championship landscape.
