Marco Bezzecchi
Maverick Vinales has been taken under Jorge Lorenzo’s wing for the upcoming MotoGP campaign, and Top Gun is hoping to achieve something special with the three-time world champion’s backing.
With the upcoming MotoGP season marking Maverick Vinales’ 12th in the premier class, the expectations that were set out for him are yet to ring true.
Jorge Lorenzo believes he can change that, and it was announced that the three-time MotoGP world champion would be coaching the Tech3 star in 2026 following the conclusion of the 2025 term.
The two Spaniards used to be on-track rivals, with Vinales previously calling Lorenzo out for riding like a rookie instead of a champion following a clash at the 2019 Catalan Grand Prix.
However, now that they are on the same side, Lorenzo has set Vinales a ‘goal’ for the 2026 premier class campaign to become the lead rider within the KTM stable, and knock Pedro Acosta off the perch he currently occupies at the Austrian constructor.
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Maverick Vinales explains why he enlisted the help of Jorge Lorenzo ahead of the upcoming MotoGP season
During a recent appearance on future Grand Prix motorcycle hopeful Miguel Bernal’s YouTube channel, Vinales was asked by the young rider why he decided that now was a good time for him to enlist the help of one of the best riders of the modern era.
Top Gun replied, “I became a father in 2021. It was a very difficult stage for me because combining sports and parenthood is complicated.
Now that my daughters are older, I feel capable of leaving them with my wife and really focusing entirely on myself. Obviously, you are always focused on MotoGP, but in this case, I am focusing on myself.
“I believe that Jorge is one of the technically best people in the world championship, and I need to make another leap in quality technically. With his experience, I can probably reach that extra tenth.”
The Spaniard was then asked what he was hoping to achieve in 2026 with Lorenzo in his corner, to which he answered with, “Winning races, I believe that must be it.
“Fighting at the front and winning races with the KTM is the goal.”
Maverick Vinales is one of the best riders in MotoGP to have never won a premier class world title
Lorenzo believes that Acosta is the most talented rider on the MotoGP grid behind Marc Marquez, but he is still a relatively unproven talent at this moment in time.
After two full seasons in the premier class, the Murcian native is still without a Grand Prix victory to his name.
Of course, the calibre of machinery that he is racing atop definitely plays a part, but he is yet to achieve a fraction of what Vinales has already done in MotoGP.
Vinales is one of the best riders to have not won a premier class title, with his 10 wins in MotoGP earning him the fifth spot on the all-time list of the most wins without a championship to show for it.
Top Gun’s best years in the category came during the 2017 and 2019 seasons, where he finished third in the riders’ standings after claiming a handful of wins.
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