<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maverick Vi\u00f1ales has emerged as a potential candidate for a Ducati MotoGP test role in 2027<\/strong>, opening a possible route for the Spaniard to remain involved in the championship after losing his place on the race grid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Reports of contact between Vi\u00f1ales and Ducati management emerged following the Japanese GP at Motegi. However, neither Ducati nor Vi\u00f1ales has confirmed an agreement<\/strong>, and the 31-year-old made clear at Mandalika that becoming a test rider is not currently his preferred outcome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cMy main priority is to race in MotoGP, not to test,\u201d Vi\u00f1ales said on Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The situation leaves Vi\u00f1ales facing one of the most important decisions of his career. The ten-time MotoGP winner is without a confirmed race seat for 2027 after his relationship with KTM deteriorated amid conflicting versions of the negotiations surrounding his future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tech3 owner G\u00fcnther Steiner subsequently said the team never formally offered Vi\u00f1ales a 2027 contract<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi\u00f1ales, meanwhile, has questioned KTM’s handling of the process and recently admitted that he did not understand what the manufacturer wanted from him<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the 2027 MotoGP grid effectively filled<\/strong>, a development position could now provide his clearest route to remain close to the championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi\u00f1ales offers an unusually broad technical background. During his MotoGP career, he has raced for Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia and KTM<\/strong>, giving him experience with four different manufacturers and several contrasting engine and chassis philosophies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That knowledge could be particularly useful as Ducati develops its completely new machine for MotoGP’s 2027 regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The championship will move from 1000cc to 850cc engines<\/strong>, reduce aerodynamic freedom, eliminate ride-height devices and replace Michelin with Pirelli as the sole tyre supplier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ducati’s testing structure is also changing. Michele Pirro remains one of the manufacturer’s key development riders, but Nicol\u00f2 Bulega will move into a full-time MotoGP race seat with VR46 in 2027<\/strong> after playing a major role in early development of the new Ducati.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That creates an obvious reason for Ducati to consider additional experienced development resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Vi\u00f1ales, though, accepting such a role would require acknowledging that an immediate full-time racing comeback is unlikely. He stressed in Indonesia that he still believes he has the speed and motivation to compete, particularly once fully recovered from the shoulder problems that disrupted much of his recent campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His return to competition at Motegi followed a long rehabilitation process, and he has repeatedly maintained that his MotoGP career is not finished<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A Ducati testing agreement could nevertheless keep him inside the paddock and place him on standby if one of the manufacturer’s regular riders became unavailable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It could also provide an opportunity to influence the development of a new-generation MotoGP bike at a moment when the technical landscape is being reset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, however, the Ducati link remains speculation rather than a completed deal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Vi\u00f1ales says he is still considering what would make him happiest if no racing opportunity emerges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The complete Indonesian MotoGP schedule, including qualifying and broadcast information<\/a> is available in GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong>\u2018s weekend guide. GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/strong> provides full coverage of the MotoGP<\/a> championship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ra\u00fal Fern\u00e1ndez topped Friday’s Practice with a new Mandalika lap record of 1:28.725, leading an Aprilia 1-2-3 ahead of Marco Bezzecchi and Jorge Mart\u00edn. Marc M\u00e1rquez finished fifth, 0.220s behind championship rival Mart\u00edn. All four qualified directly for Q2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Yes. M\u00e1rquez trails Jorge Mart\u00edn by just two points, 331 to 333. The Ducati rider can move ahead by scoring at least three more points than Mart\u00edn during Saturday’s sprint. A M\u00e1rquez victory would guarantee the championship lead regardless of Mart\u00edn’s result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Qualifying begins at 10:50 local time on Saturday, October 10, equivalent to 03:50 BST in the UK and 22:50 EDT on Friday in the United States and Canada. The sprint starts at 15:00 local time, equivalent to 08:00 BST and 03:00 EDT on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No agreement has been confirmed. Vi\u00f1ales has been linked with a possible Ducati test role<\/strong>, but Ducati has not announced his signing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Maverick Vi\u00f1ales has been linked with a Ducati test role for 2027 after losing his MotoGP race seat, but the Spaniard insists his priority remains competing rather than testing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1020309328,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Maverick Vi\u00f1ales","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Red Bull Content Pool","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[{"id":140,"location":""}],"footnotes":"","42wp_breaking_news":false},"categories":[38],"tags":[108,274,32,345],"42wp_author":[140],"class_list":["post-3633","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-ducati","tag-maverick-vinales","tag-motogp","tag-motogp-2027","42wp_author-kaio-esteves"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3633"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3633\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3634,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3633\/revisions\/3634"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1020309328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3633"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=3633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why Ducati could be interested in Vi\u00f1ales<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
MotoGP today: FAQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Who was fastest in Indonesian MotoGP Practice at Mandalika?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Can Marc M\u00e1rquez take the MotoGP championship lead in Saturday’s sprint?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What time is Indonesian MotoGP qualifying and the sprint on Saturday?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Is Maverick Vi\u00f1ales joining Ducati for 2027?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n