"Things somehow went terribly wrong" - KTM responds to Maverick Vinales' MotoGP claims

KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer has responded to Maverick Vinales' latest comments about his MotoGP future.

Speaking at the Sachsenring on Thursday, the Tech3 rider said he was no longer in talks with KTM after claiming he had signed a contract, only to be told it was not valid.

Vinales, yet to regain fitness from a shoulder injury sustained at the Sachsenring last year, said the experience had left him “burnt out” by the MotoGP world, adding “I don't think I will continue.”

Speaking to MotoGP pit lane reporter Jack Appleyard during Friday practice in Germany, Beirer acknowledged Vinales' disappointment at missing out on a factory KTM seat but insisted it was the Spaniard who had rejected the prospect of remaining with Tech3.

“We told him, ‘There will be a space for you, but we cannot tell you where and what’,” Beirer said.

“But then it looks like he underestimated that this could be also the [Tech3] team... I didn't know that this is for him no option.”

Beirer avoided directly addressing Vinales' claim about signing a contract, but insisted KTM does not hold the Spaniard's emotional comments against him.

“I really want to protect this boy,” Beirer said. “We are talking here about, if he takes this decision [to leave MotoGP], it could be the end of his racing [career].

“So it's very sensitive and I can fully understand that he's not just always calm about this.

“He said something too strong. No problem with us. The spot is open, but time is ticking against us.”

Luca Marini is now favourite for the experienced rider seat at Tech3 alongside a rookie, either Senna Agius or Manuel Gonzalez, with Beirer revealing this weekend is effectively KTM's deadline for a decision.

“Things somehow went terribly wrong”

Beirer began by confirming that Vinales - a MotoGP race winner with Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia - had initially been in line for a factory KTM ride before his prolonged recovery changed the situation.

“It's no secret that somehow we had hoped that he would be one of the factory riders in the future.

“And so last summer we were discussing this and opened this door and this discussion.

“But he told us, 'Don't worry about my health. I'm back by Spielberg last year.' That's where he made his first comeback.

“Since then we are waiting, week by week, for him to return to full form.

“There was a moment when we had the chance to get Alex and Fabio and, in that moment, Maverick was just nowhere near showing us that he would come back to that old form.

“We wouldn't need a better rider than Maverick was exactly here a year ago when he had this unlucky crash in the rain.

“But from there things somehow went terribly wrong because later on we told him, ‘There will be a space for you, but we cannot tell you where and what.’

“But then it looks like he underestimated that this could be also the team where he is today, where he had great performances last year. I didn't know that this is for him no option.

“So we have to clear that out. It's not a nice situation, but it's definitely not like we told him, ‘Please leave.’

“We started a negotiation and we still have a spot, which we still call a factory spot because we see both teams as four factory spots in total.

“I don't want to tell you now any contract details and what happened, but it's not a funny situation.”

"It's not about the factory spot"

Asked to clarify whether Vinales had turned down the chance to remain at Tech3, Beirer replied:

“I don't want to tell you in detail what he said in which moment because then he'll be asked again and then this goes like ping pong, but we started just a very normal contract conversation.

“We talked already about figures and stuff, how the future could look.

“But then at one stage things just went wrong when he found out it's not about the factory spot.

“Like I said, I understand this frustration because that was his hope.

“We have to calm him down because it's still a very long season and we need to get him back in a better mood and also get his full body fitness back.

“Because MotoGP is damn dangerous not to be fit.

“I think we need to talk properly about what happened and why he should say clearly no to, for me, a great place in this paddock.

“And let's use the summer break to calm down and maybe restart in a positive way after that.”

"We never said 'no' to Maverick"

Asked if the Tech3 door remained open, Beirer said:

“I will say everything is open over the whole weekend here. That was our deadline between me and Gunther [Steiner], where we really want to decide what the future brings.

“We never said 'no' to Maverick.

“The target or the timing didn't change and, just because of one emotional [outburst], we should not forget.

“I really want to protect this boy.

“He said something too strong. No problem with us. The spot is open, but time is ticking against us.”