Maverick Vinales says he spends every night thinking about what he wants to do in his career, admitting that becoming a test rider in MotoGP is not particularly appealing to him.
The 10-time grand prix winner will not be on the 2027 MotoGP grid following a long contract row with his current employer KTM, which left him feeling that he had been poorly treated.
The Spaniard hasn’t been considering a move to the World Superbike Championship, which has emerged as the primary destination for other riders who have lost their MotoGP seats for next year.
Equally, Vinales doesn’t want to transition to the role of a test rider at the age of 32, insisting he hasn’t “given up” on his ambition of racing in MotoGP.
“I need to think things through carefully; I don’t know if I’m ready,” the Tech3 rider told media including Motorsport.com.
“Deep down, I haven’t given up yet. I have to consider whether I could do something like that [being test rider]. It would have its pros and cons.
“I think about it every day: how to approach my future and what I want to do. It’s important to know. I think about it every day; I still want to be a rider. It’s difficult. It’s strange, but I need to give it serious thought.”
Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
Heading into this weekend’s Indonesian GP, a rumour surfaced in Italy suggesting that Vinales might become a test and reserve rider for Ducati next season – something the Borgo Panigale marque has since denied.
When told it might become difficult for him to return to MotoGP if he completely cuts his ties with MotoGP for a year, Vinales replied: “I don’t know; I’m not sure. I’m not ready to stop being a rider.”
Following another layoff due to the injury he sustained at the German Grand Prix over a year ago, Vinales returned to action at the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend. At that time, he admitted he was surprised that KTM even called him back amid speculation that he could sit out the remainder of the season.
Vinales said he still feels “very fresh” after starting just 23 of the 38 grands prix held since the beginning of 2025, and hopes to use the extra time and energy he has gained from his limited racing programme to decide his next steps.
“It’s very hard to say. At the moment, I’m thinking a lot about how I can approach the future. I’m not sure about anything because I still feel I can give a lot,” he said at Mandalika ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix.
“Especially when I recover from the injury, I will still be very fresh because in the last two years I did nothing. I have a lot of energy. So I’m not sure about anything, about my future.
“Obviously, I still need to think about what happened with KTM for 2027 as I have a [2+1] contract. For the future, I have no idea.
“I think every night about what I would like to do, how I want to approach, where I want to go, what I want to do.
“Obviously, my main priority is to race in MotoGP, not to test. I still need to think a lot. I’m giving a lot of loops in my head and I need to be confident in what I do, because I don’t want to do something and then I don’t feel like I’m OK.
“For the first time, maybe I will be free and I can think well with time. I need to really think about what makes me happy, and if I’m not racing in MotoGP, how I feel completely.
“So, I’m not sure if I do the test [rider role], I will feel complete. I don’t know. So I need to think really good about what I want to do.”
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