Maverick Vinales once called out Jorge Lorenzo for riding like a ‘rookie’ instead of a champion

Add as preferred source on Google

Jorge Lorenzo is officially joining forces with Maverick Vinales. The retired MotoGP legend will become the Tech3 rider’s performance coach.

In a social media post announcing the collaboration, they made clear that they’re targeting the world championship. Vinales has won 10 premier class races, but he’s also one of the oldest riders on the grid.

Lorenzo, who has remained active in the MotoGP world as a pundit, will primarily be aiding Vinales with race preparation, pressure management and post-weekend analysis.

Vinales finished 18th in the 2025 world championship, but that ranking is somewhat misleading because he missed 14 races due to injury.

Maverick Vinales told Jorge Lorenzo ‘sometimes we have to think on the bike’

One notable aspect of the newly formed Vinales-Lorenzo partnership is that they raced against one another for several years. ‘Top Gun’ made his MotoGP debut in 2015, the year Lorenzo won his fifth Grand Prix title.

When Lorenzo left Yamaha’s factory team at the end of the 2016 season, Vinales was the chosen replacement.

During Lorenzo’s final season, by which point he was riding for Honda, he collided with Vinales at the Catalan Grand Prix.

The former botched an attempted overtake at the end of the race, with Andrea Dovizioso and Valentino Rossi caught in the crossfire. This led to some harsh criticism from Vinales.

“I don’t know, sometimes, if you ask me, it looks like a rookie mistake and he is five-time world champion,” he said. “Sometimes we have to think on the bike.

“Even if he is a great rider, he has a lot of talent but come on, you can’t win the race in two laps.”

The MotoGP rider who needed Jorge Lorenzo’s help even more than Maverick Vinales

Many of the biggest stars on the MotoGP grid have already established relationships with decorated veterans who can be a guiding hand.

For instance, Francesco Bagnaia can call upon Rossi, while Pedro Acosta has credited test rider Dani Pedrosa with helping him improve at KTM.

One rider who could do with that kind of support is Jorge Martin, whose 2025 title defence was wrecked by injury.

Lorenzo sent a supportive message to Martin when he suffered his most serious accident of the year in Qatar.

Like Vinales, Martin will be at a major disadvantage next year due to a lack of mileage. Unlike Vinales, he’s likely to face the pressure of riding a title-contending bike straight away.