Marco Bezzecchi
KTM are committed to pairing a veteran rider with a youngster at satellite team Tech3, which likely sets up a direct battle between Brad Binder and Maverick Vinales.
The factory team are believed to have finalised their line-up already, with Alex Marquez joining from Gresini and Fabio Di Giannantonio signed from VR46. Pedro Acosta is moving to Ducati.
Binder already knows he won’t retain his current seat, and it looks as if his only hope of staying on the grid is a demotion to Tech3. While Enea Bastianini is joining Trackhouse, there’s only room for one experienced figure in their plans; the other seat will go to a promising talent like Senna Agius instead.
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Maverick Vinales has two races to reassure KTM
According to Speedweek, KTM and Tech3 are both supportive of Vinales as he tries to regain his form after a protracted shoulder injury.
Vinales has struggled for the best part of a year now since his crash at the German GP. The injury has led to three separate spells on the sidelines totalling 10 race weekends.
Top Gun is now the lowest-ranking full-time rider in the championship with six points, albeit after missing three races. He hasn’t finished in the top 10 since Assen last year.
His one-lap pace has been an even bigger issue. He hasn’t qualified higher than 17th since the injury, and he was 21st at Balaton Park last weekend, only ahead of LCR stand-in Cal Crutchlow.
But KTM haven’t ‘forgotten’ his contribution to bike development in the spring of last year, which they believe laid the foundation for Pedro Acosta’s podium spree.
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There wasn’t ‘a single harsh word’ about his performance in Hungary, but there’s also a recognition that KTM need to see signs of a ‘strong comeback’ before they hand him a new deal. They believe the rider who bagged three top-five finishes last year is still in there, but he must present the evidence.
The report says that one ‘quick lap’ in qualifying could be enough to reassure them. It seems KTM will only turn to Binder if they have absolutely have to.
Speaking on TNT Sports (5/6, 14:34), commentator Gavin Emmett revealed that the Austrian manufacturer must make a decision, in conjunction with Guenther Steiner, by the end of this month.
Emmett said: “All the KTM riders have a clause that on the 30th of June, essentially they can basically say, ‘We’ll keep you, or we won’t keep you. But we don’t have to let you know what we’re going to do until the 30th of June’. And that’s what they’re all sort of waiting for. It’s a little bit harsh.”
This effectively gives Vinales two more race weekends – Czechia and the Netherlands – to show that glimpse of speed.
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