Marco Bezzecchi
Maverick Vinales is reportedly in line to replace Pedro Acosta at the factory KTM team in 2027. This comes as Acosta closes in on a move to Ducati.
Albert Valera, Acosta’s manager, heavily hinted that he would leave KTM in a recent interview, and it seems the team are now resigned to that outcome.
It emerged on Monday that KTM will turn to Vinales to fill the Acosta void next year. Top Gun showed promise in his first season on the RC16 before suffering a serious shoulder injury at the German GP.
What do you think of KTM’s bike for the 2026 MotoGP season?
Vinales would have taken Brad Binder’s seat for 2026 if he had stayed fit, but for the time being, he remains at satellite team Tech3 alongside Enea Bastianini.
KTM open to replacing Brad Binder with ‘young talent’ in 2027
Motorsport ES reiterate that KTM already know Acosta’s plans. They hoped he would sign a two-year extension, but he has now ‘almost finalised’ his agreement with Ducati.
Last October, KTM told Vinales he would become a factory rider in 2027. They wanted him to be Acosta’s teammate, but now he’s the replacement instead.
Has Brad Binder’s MotoGP career been better or worse than you expected?
On the face of it, this is good news for the embattled Binder. The report states that Binder now has the ‘option’ of staying put.
However, KTM are ‘leaving the door open’ to sign a ‘young talent’ instead. Binder and Vinales (currently 30 and 31 respectively) would likely be the oldest partnership in MotoGP.
Why are KTM signing Maverick Vinales despite lengthy absence?
Vinales missed 14 out of 44 races last season, contributing to a lowly points haul (72). That was only enough for 18th in the championship.
But KTM were extremely encouraged by his pre-injury results. Vinales was denied a podium in Qatar by a controversial tyre-pressure penalty, but he delivered top-five finishes in Jerez, France and the Netherlands.
After the race at Assen – his last fully-fit weekend – he was 10th in the championship, 22 points ahead of long-serving KTM rider Binder.
Vinales is also one of the most decorated riders on the MotoGP grid. Only Marc Marquez, Francesco Bagnaia and Fabio Quartararo can beat his tally of 10 premier-class victories, and he is the only rider to win with three different manufacturers in the modern era.
He has also scored 35 career podiums, which ranks him just outside the top 20 all-time.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
