Marco Bezzecchi
KTM chief Sebastian Risse has made it clear what Tech3’s Maverick Vinales is actually “finding so difficult” in 2026, as they did not build the RC16 to only suit Pedro Acosta.
Factory KTM rider Acosta relished a terrific start to the 2026 MotoGP season at the Thailand Grand Prix. The 21-year-old’s victory in the Buriram Sprint Race and P2 finish in the Thailand GP even means he will enter this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix as the championship leader.
Acosta tops the riders’ standings ahead of round two by seven points over Aprilia ace Marco Bezzecchi, who won the Thailand GP but crashed out of the lead in the Buriram Sprint. Brad Binder is the second-highest-placed KTM rider in sixth place, but trails Acosta by 19 points.
Vinales was the only KTM rider to fail to secure a single point in Buriram, with Tech3 partner Enea Bastianini earning four with P12 in the Thailand GP. Vinales finished the Thailand GP in P16, and he took the chequered flag 3.590s behind Yamaha rival Alex Rins for the final point.
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Maverick Vinales is finding it ‘so difficult’ not to push too hard trying to match Pedro Acosta
Vinales admits he made a “mistake” with his set-up in Thailand, as it did not pay off after he went in a different direction than the other KTM riders. Technical director Risse has specified that Vinales chose a different seat, but it was only one of the problems that held him back.
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Risse believes any suggestion that KTM have built the RC16 to suit Acosta more than Vinales in 2026 is plainly “wrong”, as the latter is merely struggling to find the performance that his stablemate can. Risse also feels Vinales’ problems are tied to his shoulder injury from 2025.
“All four [riders] have the same base bike and the same modular system available to them to further customise it,” Risse told SPEEDWEEK.
“It’s also true that Maverick was the only one who opted for a different seat. That was his decision, not a special development for him.
“It would be wrong to assume that the RC16, as it is now, suits Pedro better and Maverick worse. A key factor is that Pedro is extremely deeply involved in the project and has been involved in every step of the long journey to where we are today.
“Maverick has had to miss many intermediate points. This lack of experience makes it difficult for Maverick to find the right balance.
“This means he needs to push hard on the one hand, but at the same time, he mustn’t overexert himself or get overwhelmed. That’s what he’s finding so difficult.”
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Vinales hit the ground running after he joined Tech3 on a two-year factory KTM contract in 2025. It was even said that KTM planned to promote Vinales to replace Binder in 2026, but those plans fell through after he struggled to recover his form after fracturing his shoulder.
A heavy crash during qualifying for the 2025 German Grand Prix at the Sachsenring in July last year saw Vinales dislocate and fracture his left shoulder. The injury ultimately saw him have to miss eight Grands Prix, despite trying to return at October’s Indonesian Grand Prix.
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