Marco Bezzecchi
Neil Hodgson has suggested that Maverick Vinales and Jorge Lorenzo will separate before Jerez.
Ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season, Maverick Vinales took a gamble when he joined forces with Jorge Lorenzo ahead of his second season in Tech3.
The Spaniards had been competitors in the past, after Vinales took Lorenzo’s seat at the factory Yamaha squad for the 2017 MotoGP season.
However, now that Lorenzo is retired, he has taken on a full-time role as Vinales’ performance coach and they began working together during the 2026 pre-season.
However, there have been question marks about the longevity of the two Spaniards’ relationship.
Prove them wrong: KTM think Maverick Vinales is the best replacement for Pedro Acosta
Sylvain Guintoli says Vinales and Lorenzo duo is not working
The first Grand Prix that Vinales raced in with Lorenzo as his coach did not go how either of the riders would have expected.
Even though fellow KTM rider, Pedro Acosta, won the Sprint Race at the Thailand Grand Prix and went on to claim a Grand Prix podium, Vinales failed to score points in the Sprint Race and Grand Prix.
After the opening round of the season, Sylvain Guintoli and Neil Hodgson discussed the Lorenzo and Vinales relationship on Gas it Out, with Hodgson suggesting the relationship will be over by the Spanish Grand Prix.
Guintoli said, “We said we were going to keep an eye on the Vinales and Lorenzo duo, well that did not work, well not for that race anyway.
“For Vinales, that was a really tough weekend, he said he had no feel, he kept running wide, and he really, really struggled. In contrast to Pedro Acosta or Brad Binder, Bastianini struggled as well, but Vinales had a really difficult weekend.
“So, at the moment it is not working, but we said we would keep track of it.”
Hodgson added, “I am sticking by that I cannot see that relationship still being intact by Jerez. That is my prediction.”
How much of an impact will Jorge Lorenzo have on Maverick Vinales in 2026?
Jorge Lorenzo bet on Maverick Vinales beating Pedro Acosta
Jorge Lorenzo was very confident in Maverick Vinales’ abilities ahead of the 2026 MotoGP season and backed the Spaniard to be the top KTM rider.
During the pre-season, Lorenzo made a bet with Pedro Acosta’s manager Albert Valera, Lorenzo bet a dinner with Valera if Vinales beat Acosta throughout the season.
The bet came at a time when Lorenzo had noted a clear tension between Acosta and Vinales during the pre-season tests at Sepang.
Lorenzo had strengthened his thoughts on Vinales, as Lorenzo went on to say that Vinales’ talent and ability are ‘superior’ to Acosta’s.
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