Let's talk MotoGP: What a waste for Maverick Vinales!

It's time for the season debrief. As every winter for the past two years, this column analyzes each rider's campaign in detail, from the lowest-ranked to the world champion. The aim is to provide a reasoned perspective on the performance of each of our heroes, so we can all discuss it together. Are you ready for this new installment, dedicated to Maverick Viñales? Let's go!

Yesterday's episode was dedicated to Alex Rins; you can find it by clicking here.

 

Flamboyant

 

Maverick Viñales has never been one of my favorite riders, I have to admit. After all, in my opinion, he remains one of the most disappointing riders since their arrival in MotoGPAs if that weren't enough, his behavior was sometimes very difficult to appreciate, both for the fans and the teams. Now that that's been said, credit where credit is due: Few are as talented as him.In another universe, we might be in the presence of a MotoGP champion, who knows.

 

 

The year 2025 perfectly illustrated the contradictions of this pilotStrong where he's least expected, and absent when the conditions seem perfect for him to express his full potential. At the start of the season, after only a few races to adapt, he demonstrated his mastery on numerous occasions. until he reached the podium in Qatar before being demoted for non-compliant pressure.

In the next round, in Spain, He finished fourth in the GP, and twice fifth in FranceWhat needs to be kept in mind, and what the numbers don't show, is that in the first part of this campaign, he was the only KTM rider to consistently make the RC16 work. Yes, for a significant period, I believe Maverick Viñales could be considered the best rider for the Mattighofen-based manufacturer, given his potential for improvement on a bike he didn't yet know perfectly, compared to Pedro Acosta, for example.

I'm not saying he would have beaten Acosta on points, because the latter reached another level towards the end. The problem with Viñales is that it's absolutely impossible to say whether he could maintain this pace for long, given his history with Suzuki, Yamaha, and Aprilia. Unfortunately, he didn't even get the chance to show that he could tame his demons from the past.

 

Vinales and Destiny

 

During the German Grand Prix, he suffered a terrible crash, which ended his season.Not directly, but perhaps even worse. Doctors quickly discovered a significant injury to his left shoulder. What could have been a minor injury turned into a real nightmare for the Spaniard. A true descent into hell that is not pleasant to witness.

In addition to the Sunday race at the Sachsenring, he had to miss the Czech Grand Prix due to his surgery. He attempted a first comeback at the following GP, at the Red Bull Ring, but was unable to start. He decided to skip the Balaton Park race in Hungary before returning more regularly to Catalonia. He competed in three consecutive races, but nothing was going right..

So, yes, he admitted to making a poor technical choice; by his own admission, he adopted a new aerodynamic package too soon. But his injury remains the defining factor of his season, without a doubt. During these three rounds, he couldn't regain his form and lost the feeling that made him a serious contender for a top-five finish in each event before Germany. Then, in Indonesia, he threw in the towel againThis was followed by an absence of four races including Mandalika, before returning at the last minute in Valencia.

 

 

Even though I think putting on leathers for a single race with nothing to play for is quite risky, Maverick Viñales undoubtedly needed to find his form again. The result wasn't fruitful, but I imagine that wasn't the intended goal. He was second to last in qualifying, and abandoned the race.

Maverick, who had never missed a single race due to injury since his arrival in MotoGP at the beginning of 2016, seems to be punished by fate. Nothing comes easy for him in this world, yet he continues to fight. This new partnership with Jorge Lorenzo is a testament to that.Frankly, he impresses me, and reality has certainly made my prediction about him obsolete – 18th when I had imagined him 13th overall – but I am sure that without that nasty fall, he had the key to enter the top 10 at the end of the year.

 

Conclusion

 

This driver has by far the most unpredictable career of all the competitors. You never know what to expect from him; it can go very high or very low, sometimes for no reason at all. What is certain is that at 30 years old, he can still make the best tremble on a good day.

What are your thoughts on Maverick Vinales' season? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Tech3