Maverick Vi\u00f1ales has expressed his surprise at the unexpectedly strong bond he has formed with MotoGP performance coach Jorge Lorenzo, despite their rocky history as fierce rivals. Following the 2025 season, Vi\u00f1ales, now riding for Tech3 KTM, revealed that Lorenzo, a three-time MotoGP champion, has served as his rider coach, a partnership that caught many off guard given their past clashes.<\/p>\n
Their rivalry in the 2010s included public disputes and harsh exchanges, such as when Vi\u00f1ales accused Lorenzo and Valentino Rossi of scheming against him at Mugello and later criticized Lorenzo for rookie errors after a collision at the 2019 Catalunya Grand Prix. Despite these past tensions, Vi\u00f1ales described their current relationship as \u201cgreat\u201d and said he finds working with Lorenzo enjoyable, praising Lorenzo\u2019s renewed passion for riding and understanding of his dedication.<\/p>\n
Lorenzo has shared extensive footage showcasing the intense and varied training routines he runs with Vi\u00f1ales during the offseason, incorporating both on- and off-bike sessions. Their collaboration began in earnest after Vi\u00f1ales suffered a shoulder injury during qualifying at the German Grand Prix and felt the timing was right to team up following earlier talks that didn\u2019t materialize due to Vi\u00f1ales\u2019 commitments with Aprilia.<\/p>\n
Vi\u00f1ales clarified that Aprilia supported the idea of Lorenzo\u2019s involvement and did not obstruct the arrangement. He pointed out that family responsibilities, especially caring for a young child, were the primary factors in the timing of the partnership, which has become easier to commit to as his children have grown older.<\/p>\n
Working with Lorenzo has helped Vi\u00f1ales recognize that he hadn\u2019t been performing at his highest level previously, with Lorenzo pushing him to ride even when conditions were less than ideal. This demanding approach has unlocked new potential for Vi\u00f1ales, providing the intensity and motivation he needs beyond just racing.<\/p>\n
A key part of Lorenzo\u2019s coaching involves training Vi\u00f1ales on a 600cc bike over technical circuits, focusing on improving precision at slow speeds\u2014a challenging but vital skill for mastering control and tire management in MotoGP. According to Vi\u00f1ales, this method builds versatile riding abilities that enhance overall performance on the main racing bike.<\/p>\n
Fan Take:<\/strong> Maverick Vi\u00f1ales has expressed his surprise at the unexpectedly strong bond he has formed with MotoGP performance coach Jorge Lorenzo, despite their rocky history as fierce rivals. Following the 2025 season, Vi\u00f1ales, now riding for Tech3 KTM, revealed that Lorenzo, a three-time MotoGP champion, has served as his rider coach, a partnership that caught many […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[8452,8453,19,18,21,5235,1043,8451,3079],"class_list":{"0":"post-39406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-racing","8":"tag-beginnings","9":"tag-federation","10":"tag-formula","11":"tag-formula-racing","12":"tag-motogp","13":"tag-thriving","14":"tag-triumph","15":"tag-troubled","16":"tag-unexpected"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39406\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nThis surprising partnership between two former rivals highlights the evolving nature of MotoGP, where respect and collaboration can transcend past conflicts to push the sport forward. For racing fans, Lorenzo coaching Vi\u00f1ales could spark a resurgence in competitiveness and inspire other riders to embrace holistic training methods, potentially raising the level of MotoGP racing even higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"