Maverick Vinales, a rider who has won 10 grand prix races, joined Aprilia in the second part of the 2021 season. This happened after he left Yamaha amid some disagreements. He’s become quite popular with the management at Aprilia.
Earlier this year, Vinales got his first win with Aprilia at a grand prix race in America. Many people have thought for some time that Vinales would stay with Aprilia, especially since Aleix Espargaro said he would retire at the end of 2024.
During the weekend of the Catalan Grand Prix, Jorge Lorenzo, a three-time MotoGP world champion, interviewed Massimo Rivola. Rivola told him that Vinales had already renewed his contract for 2025.
But when Vinales talked to the media after finishing 12th at the Catalan GP, he said that wasn’t true. He said, “No, no, I’m not confirmed. I don’t have a contract for next year.”
He explained that he’s interested in continuing with Aprilia because they’re doing well. But he also said he’s looking at other options and wants to see how things go in races like those in Barcelona, Le Mans, or Jerez.
Vinales wants to win, and he believes he’s capable of winning. He wants to make sure he’s in the best position to do that.
During the Catalan GP weekend, Rivola hinted that Aprilia was looking for an Italian rider to replace Espargaro. Enea Bastianini, who might lose his seat at Ducati for 2025, and Marco Bezzecchi have been mentioned as potential options.
Rivola spoke about this, saying, “After Saturday’s race, I asked him [Espargaro] if he was sure, if he really wants to retire. But he told me that the decision has been made.”
He also mentioned waiting for Ducati’s decision and then looking at interesting Italian riders like Bastianini or Bezzecchi.
