Maverick Vinales linked to Ducati MotoGP lifeline for 2027

Maverick Vinales has been linked to a potential MotoGP test role with Ducati for the 2027 season, though he says racing remains his primary focus.

The 10-time MotoGP race winner has lost his place on the grid with KTM after a major fallout between the two parties over his contract for 2027.

All spaces on the grid for next year have been assigned, with only Honda to decide between David Alonso and Diogo Moreira to partner Fabio Quartararo at its works team.

All top seats on the World Superbike grid also look to have been sewn up, leaving Maverick Vinales with few options for next year.

Could Vinales become a Ducati test rider?

In recent days, rumours of a meeting between Vinales and Ducati management at the Japanese Grand Prix surfaced, as first reported by The Race.

Ducati’s current test rider roster consists of Michele Pirro and Nicolo Bulega, though the latter will compete in 2027 with the VR46 squad, following his World Superbike title win this year.

Pirro has been a loyal and faithful test rider for Ducati over the years, but he is now 40 years old, and the need for race-fit testers has become more important.

Vinales has vast experience of machinery in MotoGP across Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and KTM, which could prove useful for Ducati’s 2027 development plans.

A test rider role in 2027 would not come with wildcards, after a change to the regulations, though Vinales would be on standby as a strong injury replacement option.

“I think every night about what to do”

Asked about his future, Vinales says he is still considering what is best for him, and that a test role wouldn’t necessarily make him “feel complete”.

“At the moment, I’m thinking a lot about how I can approach the future,” he told reporters, including Crash on Thursday in Indonesia.

“I’m not sure of anything, because I still feel like I can give a lot.

“And, especially when I recover from the injury, I will be very fresh still because the last two years I did nothing; I have a lot of energy.

“So, I’m not sure about anything. Obviously, I need to think about what happened with KTM for ’27, because I have a contract.

“And then for the future, I have no idea. I think every night about what I would like to do, how I would like to approach it, where I would like to go, what I want to do.

“My main priority is to race in MotoGP, not to test. I need to still think a lot.

“I’m giving a lot of thoughts in my head to be confident in what I do.

“For the first time, I can be free, and I can think well with time, and I need to think about what makes me happy, and if I’m not racing in MotoGP, how I feel complete.

“So, I’m not sure if I do the testing if I will feel complete. So I need to think a lot about what I do.”