Marco Bezzecchi
Maverick Vinales produced arguably the performance of the season at the Qatar Grand Prix as he finished second for KTM Tech3. However, he was demoted to 14th after a tyre pressure infringement.
The Spaniard joined KTM after leaving Aprilia at the end of 2024. Vinales signed a two-year factory contract, putting him level with Pedro Acosta, Brad Binder and Tech3 teammate Enea Bastianini.
Optimism was high at the manufacturer, having secured the riders who placed from fourth to seventh last year for their line-up. However, it has been an underwhelming start to 2025, particularly for Tech3.
Prior to the Qatar Grand Prix, Bastianini and Vinales had struggled to get accustomed to the RC16. The latter finished outside the points in the season opener in Buriram in 16th.
Vinales modified his position on the bike in Argentina to match the pace of the other KTM riders. Even then, he could only manage 12th, before finishing 14th in Austin.
In Qatar, hardly anyone would have expected the Tech3 rider to challenge the Ducatis at the front. But that is exactly what Vinales did as he qualified an impressive sixth and temporarily led the Grand Prix on Sunday.
Maverick Vinales felt ‘at home’ on his KTM bike as he led the Qatar Grand Prix
Vinales got an excellent start off the grid as he mixed with the Ducatis in the opening stages. Around the halfway point, the Spaniard breezed past Marc Marquez to take the lead.
For a while, it seemed the 30-year-old would hold on for his first MotoGP win since the 2024 Americas Grand Prix. However, he encountered a tyre pressure issue in the final laps of the race.
Vinales relinquished the lead to Marquz to try and mitigate the problem as he crossed the line in second. However, he was handed a 16-second penalty, dropping him to 14th.
MotoGP fans were furious over Vinales’ penalty as he was denied his maiden KTM podium. Despite the disappointment, the Spaniard said he felt ‘at home’ on the RC16 as he led the race – comments that will surely delight the manufacturer.
“I feel like at home when I was leading the race to be honest. I was feeling really good, what I was saying to myself was: ‘You can do it! Just hit the good lines, hit the marks,” he said via After The Flag.
“I kept a good rhythm, 52.7, 52.8. Not enough to beat Marc but we are building it and [I’m] very happy to ride on my level, that was fantastic.”
READ MORE: Everything to know about Maverick Vinales from career stats to net worth
Is Maverick Vinales finally comfortable on his KTM bike?
Vinales previously said KTM’s chances of winning were not good after his miserable start to the season. His performance in Qatar, despite losing his podium, shows that the manufacturer may have made some progress.
Vinales and factory rider Acosta found drastic improvements in the RC16 as the chatter issue seemed to fix itself. KTM were plagued with the problem last season and it has hampered their progress in 2025.
Jack Miller is grateful not to have chatter at Yamaha, having suffered with it at KTM in 2024. The fact Vinales and Acosta did not seem to struggle with the problem in Qatar is a n encouraging sign.
However, KTM were completely bemused that the issue ‘improved dramatically.’ They clearly have work to do in Austria to figure out how to mitigate it across the season.
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