Steiner says Tech3 never offered Viñales a MotoGP deal for 2027

News Summary

Günther Steiner says Tech3 never formally offered Maverick Viñales a contract for the 2027 MotoGP season.
Viñales previously claimed that an agreement to remain with KTM had been signed before the manufacturer withdrew it.
Tech3 will field Luca Marini and Moto2 graduate Senna Agius next season, leaving Viñales without a full-time MotoGP seat.

Günther Steiner has said Tech3 never presented Maverick Viñales with an offer to remain at the team for the 2027 MotoGP season, providing a new version of the negotiations that preceded the Spaniard’s exit from the championship.

Viñales appeared likely to remain within KTM’s MotoGP operation after producing a strong first half of the 2025 season with Tech3. However, his results declined as he dealt with a persistent shoulder injury, and a possible promotion to the factory team did not materialise.

The ten-time MotoGP race winner subsequently claimed that he had signed an agreement during the summer to continue as a KTM rider at Tech3, only for the manufacturer to revoke it.

Steiner, who now controls Tech3, said at the Austrian GP that Viñales was under contract directly to KTM and that the satellite team had to make its own decision about 2027.

“Maverick is a KTM rider, and we needed to decide at some stage,” Steiner said. “I don’t think Maverick told KTM that he wanted a works-team seat, and obviously we don’t have that. So, we needed to make our decision.”

Asked directly whether Tech3 had ever presented Viñales with a contract offer for 2027, Steiner replied: “No.”

Maverick Viñales was not offered a 2027 contract directly by Tech3, according to Günther Steiner (Photo: Gold and Goose)

Tech3’s new structure complicated Viñales negotiations

The distinction between KTM and Tech3 is important because their contractual arrangement changes next season.

Under the current structure, Viñales and Enea Bastianini are contracted to KTM rather than directly to Tech3. From 2027, both riders will instead be signed by the team, giving Steiner’s operation greater control over its line-up.

That transition helps explain the conflicting accounts. Viñales has described an agreement involving KTM and a continuation at Tech3, while Steiner says his team never formally tabled an offer.

Tech3 ultimately opted for a completely new pairing. Luca Marini will leave Honda to lead the project, while Australian Moto2 frontrunner Senna Agius has taken the second seat.

Agius’ promotion filled the final vacancy and completed the 22-rider MotoGP grid for 2027. Viñales is therefore set to leave the full-time field at the end of the current season.

Maverick Viñales last competed at the German GP in July (Photo: Gold and Goose)

Steiner prioritises Viñales’ recovery over MotoGP return

Viñales has not competed since the German GP in July as he continues recovering from his shoulder injury. His absence has extended beyond the summer break, and there is still no confirmed date for his return.

Steiner said he had spoken with KTM personnel in Austria but had not received a detailed medical update or confirmation that Viñales would return at the next round.

“I saw the KTM guys yesterday, but we didn’t speak about whether he is going to ride next week or not, just to see where he is at,” Steiner explained.

“He said this week himself he is not fit yet to ride. I don’t know his exact condition because it’s very complicated.”

Steiner also suggested Viñales may have returned too quickly during an earlier stage of his recovery, arguing that the rider’s long-term health must take priority over another attempt to race.

“I’m of the opinion that, for his own sake, he needs to get healthy; he needs to get fit again,” he said. “There’s no point coming back too early again because I think that’s what happened.

“It is why he is where he is now. And I want him fit as a human being, not as an athlete, for his future, as a person. That’s more important than racing motorbikes.”

Viñales remains sidelined while recovering from a complicated shoulder injury (Photo: Gold and Goose)

The Spaniard’s immediate focus is therefore his physical recovery rather than securing a place elsewhere. With every full-time seat allocated for 2027, any continued involvement in MotoGP would require a test, reserve or replacement role unless the grid changes before next season.