Vinales a Ducati test rider? Team boss Tardozzi clarifies: “We’re just friends!”

Red Bull-KTM rider Maverick Vinales is one of five 2026 regulars who, as things stand today, will not be competing in any more MotoGP races next year. The trio of Jack Miller, Brad Binder and Franco Morbidelli are set to shake up the Superbike World Championship, whilst current Yamaha rider Alex Rins will be stepping away from professional racing for the time being. The situation regarding Maverick Vinales remains unclear.

The Tech3 rider signed a two-year deal with the Austrian team for the 2025 season, already saw himself as a confirmed regular rider at Red Bull Factory Racing – and now finds himself without a job. It is as tragic as it is baffling: Vinales himself rejected the ‘Tech3’ Plan B. The 31-year-old felt he had been denied a place in Aki Ajo’s team (and with it, a pay rise) – and ended his relationship with the Austrians on an emotional note.

Officially, Maverick Viñales is “fit to ride in MotoGP”

By that point (July), the plans within the field had been finalised. Since then, it has been a matter of reorienting himself. Not to mention the actual trigger for the dilemma: Viñales’s shoulder injury. The MotoGP veteran sustained this injury at the 2025 German Grand Prix and is still struggling with it today. Officially, Maverick Viñales is listed as ‘fit to ride in MotoGP’, but ‘Top Gun’ is still struggling to recapture the form he showed in the spring of 2025.

...oder startet Vinales noch einmal durch?

Foto: Gold and Goose

During the Asian tour, Vinales’s name began to be mentioned in the paddock in connection with Ducati Corse. Far from the packed paddocks of Europe, Ducati-Lenovo team manager and paddock veteran Davide Tardozzi was involved in a private conversation with Vinales.

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Tardozzi raised his hand and referred to their close acquaintance. Speaking to colleagues from GPone, the Italian said: “I’ve had a close relationship with Viñales for a long time, and his masseur is a childhood friend of my son’s. We’re friends, and people saw us walking from the offices to the hospitality area at Motegi – that’s how this rumour started. As far as I’m concerned, my relationship with Maverick goes beyond work.”

Davide Tardozzi (Teammanager Ducati Lenovo)

Foto: Gold and Goose

At the same time, the team boss openly admitted: “The truth is that we’re looking to the future, as Michele has reached a certain age and we’ll probably need someone else in the future. That’s a fact, but it’s not yet clear who that will be: we haven’t decided, finalised or even thought through anything at all yet.”

Italy’s MotoGP projects will need support

One thing is certain – Ducati would be an option for the role of MotoGP test rider. Not just because of 40-year-old Pirro, but also because of newcomer Nicolo Bulega. As the new lead rider, the Superbike World Champion cannot take on the role of a full-time test rider.

An even more obvious choice: Aprilia. Viñales was involved in the Noale-based project for over three years from the end of 2021. And successfully so. In 2024, they achieved a joint triumph in Austin. Aprilia has a top test rider in Lorenzo Savadori, but only one. Matteo Baiocco has to step in occasionally for functional tests. A role at Aprilia Racing would be almost tailor-made for him.

Yamaha and KTM: probably not

Due to personal disagreements with Yamaha (2021) and now KTM, there is likely to be little enthusiasm for a collaboration on either side. Both brands also have two riders each. That leaves Honda as a vague option. Here, too, two top riders – Nakagami and Espargaro – are already under contract. However, Espargaro, who is closely linked to Viñales, is not yet back to 100 per cent following his serious back injury.

The same applies to Maverick Viñales. Only when the Catalan is able to string together many fast laps in a row, grinning and pain-free, will interest in ‘Top Gun’ rise again. The next chance to showcase his skills to Tardozzi and co. is the final Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island.