A MotoGP rider insists that rejecting Ducati is “what I really regret the most”

If we had to describe Maverick Vinales’ MotoGP journey in one word, “journeyman” might be the most fitting.

Since making his premier class debut in 2015, Vinales has raced for Suzuki (2015–2016), Yamaha (2017–mid-2021), and Aprilia (mid-2021–2024). He won races with all of them before making a switch to Tech3 KTM.

Practically, Vinales has raced for every manufacturer on the MotoGP grid since his debut - except two: Honda and Ducati. But, as he recently revealed, he nearly joined the Borgo Panigale outfit in 2018.

At the time, Vinales was offered a place alongside Andrea Dovizioso for the 2019 and 2020 seasons, replacing Jorge Lorenzo, who was moving to Repsol Honda. However, Vinales chose to remain loyal to Yamaha.

Seven years later, he admitted to some regrets.

“Yes, and that's what I really regret the most in my sports career. In 2018 I had the offer to be in the official Ducati team in 2019 and 2020, as a teammate of Dovizioso,” Vinales admitted during an interview with Spanish outlet AS.

“They convinced me. I was very convinced to go to Ducati, but the group I was working with convinced me to stay at Yamaha and try to win there. Of course, total error. Total error.”

What could have been for Maverick Vinales?

While Ducati continued its upward trajectory to become the dominant force we know today, Maverick Vinales’ career took a dramatic turn after that decision in 2018.

His relationship with Yamaha soured in 2021, ultimately leading to an early departure mid-season - costing him around €17 million from a freshly signed two-year contract.

Fortunately, Aprilia was there to revive his career. The Noale-based team offered him a lifeline for the final six races of 2021. He then stayed on for three more seasons, culminating in a victory at COTA in 2024 - making him the first rider to win MotoGP races with three different manufacturers.

Now, in 2025, he’s racing with Tech3 KTM and getting to grips with the RC16 as the next MotoGP bike to tame. He even managed a podium finish in Qatar, but a tire-pressure penalty dropped him to 14th place.

When asked what might have happened had he joined Ducati, Vinales replied: “I have no idea. I have no idea.

“I think that in life all things that happen are for a reason. Maybe I'll go to Ducati, hit myself with an onion, get injured and don't race anymore. We don't know.

“What is clear is that fate has taken me here, to KTM, and I have made an evolution that I love.

“I feel proud of myself and I feel very proud to represent my family right now, right now. In the end I always think that you are the visible face of your family, of Raquel de Nina and Blanca. I would like people to admire me and my family as well, because it is still the values we have at home.

“How many titles would it have? Between the attitude I have now and having hooked up a Ducati, at least three or four. But what's important is how you feel and being happy is very important. It's what everyone knows and I feel at peace.

“When you're at peace, you're happy and everything goes well. When you are in harmony, calm and without forcing. I tell myself not to force.

“The other day, at Mugello, I said to myself: ‘If it doesn't play, now it doesn't play and wait for something better to come’. And now I really want to win.”