Maverick Viñales is wrapping up his time with Aprilia after a successful three-year stint, during which he scored one grand prix win in Austin this year and a total of seven podium finishes. He’s now set to join the team managed by Tech3 in partnership with KTM’s parent company, Pierer Mobility group, currently racing under the GasGas name.
At Tech3, Viñales will team up with Enea Bastianini, a five-time grand prix winner. Bastianini will move from Ducati’s factory team to make room for Marc Marquez next season. KTM plans to field four identical bikes this year across its two teams, including the factory team with Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta.
With Viñales’s move to KTM confirmed, Aprilia will lose both its current factory riders, as Aleix Espargaro has already announced his retirement from MotoGP at the end of this year. Espargaro is expected to join Honda as a test rider next year.
Initially, Viñales was considering extending his contract with Aprilia, who signed Jorge Martin from Pramac after Ducati chose Marquez as Francesco Bagnaia’s teammate for 2025-26. The second factory RS-GP seat at Aprilia remains undecided, with Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio from VR46 seen as top contenders.
Born in 1995, Viñales began his World Championship career in 2011 in the 125cc class, winning the Moto3 title two years later with 12 victories in three seasons. After a year in Moto2 with four wins and a third-place finish in the standings, he moved up to MotoGP as a Suzuki factory rider in 2015. His first MotoGP win came in 2016 with Suzuki before switching to Yamaha, where he won races in Qatar, Argentina, and France early in his tenure.
Between 2018 and 2021, Viñales added five more victories but struggled to challenge for the championship. He left Yamaha mid-2022 following a turbulent incident in Austria, leading to his move to Aprilia. Now, entering his eleventh premier class season in 2025, he will compete for his fourth different manufacturer.
Viñales’s career trajectory highlights his adaptability and competitiveness across different teams and manufacturers in MotoGP, making his upcoming stint with KTM one to watch for fans and analysts alike. His ability to contend for wins and podiums will be crucial as he joins the Tech3-KTM partnership for the next phase of his racing career.
