Depending on how long you’ve paid attention to motorsport, you may remember a time when not every rider and driver apparently had a metric ton of media training. Although it may have sometimes caused a little more sweating for both teams and their sponsors, those times also turned out to be even more memorable moments for fans.
After all, there is a reason that the 2012 Abu Dhabi Formula One race is particularly memorable, and This is Kimi Raikkonen’s in-car radioWhich will always be rent-free in my mind. Hey, leave him alone; He knows what he’s doing, you guys!
Here in 2026, those moments no longer happen very often in any top racing paddock. So, on rare occasions they do, which makes them even more unique.
take as an example Maverick Vinales has this brand new claimWho has now publicly stated that he believes he has signed a contract with KTM for next year. But then, later, he said he was told that the contract was “not valid” and that he did not actually have a ride. This report comes from our sister publication motorsport.comBy the way.
Let’s think about that for a moment, because if it’s true then that’s a terrible way to treat someone. Since we are not contract lawyers, I do not feel comfortable giving any opinion regarding any legal action potentially involved; No doubt, Vinales has his own legal team to help him with that case.
Whether or not this is true, the fact that Vinales felt the need to present this information publicly seems like a clear indicator that he feels he has nothing left to lose in terms of securing a place in the MotoGP paddock for 2027. Anyone who’s ever held down a job can tell you that you probably don’t let every thought that comes into your head come into your mind fast enough and out of your mouth, you know?
At least, not if you plan to stay employed.
But if you already know you’re going out, you may be a lot less calm when you suddenly realize how you really feel. From that interview, it seems like this is where Vinales’s head is right now.
“After Montmelo, because of what was published, I knew that Fabio di Giannantonio was going to replace me. So I asked KTM about it and then, when I arrived at Mugello (May 31), they sent me a contract. They sent it to my email. And I signed it.
“Well, the truth is that it (the contract) was not good at all. But in any case, I wanted to race. I really trust the engineers at KTM. That’s why, even though it was against my own interests, I signed it. And two weeks later, they told me it was not valid. What can you expect after that?
“I don’t want to be here. They didn’t take it seriously.”
–Maverick Vinales
What can you say, except that the guy is clearly not mincing words here. And if that’s the case, it’s hard to blame him for having a certain feeling. What happens next after this is unclear.
Could he maybe appear on WSBK? Another route that is unfortunately closed to him and others who have recently left the paddock is returning to MotoGP as a wildcard, as he is now banned from racing. Could he, perhaps, return to motorsport in a management role, as the aforementioned Kimi Raikkonen and many other former racers have done? only time will tell.
