“Riders with less talent” than one “intimidating” MotoGP star have fought for titles
Maverick Vinales has been rated very highly by one MotoGP world champion
MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo believes “riders with less talent” than Maverick Vinales have fought for titles in the premier class, so “why can’t he?”
Last month, three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo announced that he was joining forces with Maverick Vinales to become his rider coach.
Vinales made his MotoGP debut in 2015 after just one year in Moto2 and was quickly being touted as world champion potential.
But, following stints with Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and now KTM with Tech3, Vinales has just 10 victories to his credit.
Vinales’ time in MotoGP saw him replace Lorenzo at Yamaha in 2017, only to be ejected from the Japanese marque midway through 2021.
In his three full seasons with Aprilia, he managed just one grand prix victory.
He started 2025 as the leading KTM rider, though injury midway through the campaign ultimately stunted his progress on the RC16.
Vinales was “intimidating” when he joined Yamaha
The partnership between Lorenzo and Vinales is hoped to yield greater success for the latter, who was branded “intimidating” by the three-time champion after his Yamaha move in 2017.
Lorenzo also believes that riders “with less talent” than Vinales have been able to fight for titles in MotoGP, so there’s no reason he can’t.
“He was one of the five or six strongest rivals I had, especially when he moved to Yamaha,” Lorenzo said on his podcast.
“After the Sepang test [in 2017], he was intimidating.
“Because, in terms of talent, Maverick has always been like the magnificent four or five.
“I would compare him [to myself, Valentino Rossi, Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa, Casey Stoner].
“In terms of pure speed, he has nothing to envy.
“Perhaps Casey Stoner is the only one who has something more, or something special, in terms of pure talent.
“But he has nothing to envy Valentino Rossi, Dani Pedrosa, or even Marc Marquez or me.
“I always tell him that, if riders with less talent and natural speed have managed to fight for world championships, why can’t he?”
In this article
