Maverick Viñales is currently at the end of his contract with Aprilia. The rider has not yet renewed beyond 2024, so the future is uncertain for now – and it’s not even on his mind.
The Spanish rider said in a press conference before the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix: ‘I think that every race we go ahead will put me in a better position to… not really look for something else, but to be stronger. We need to keep developing ourselves, trying to be strong as a team, being together, and believing that we can do something bigger than in Austin‘.
Living one of the best phases of his career, Viñales emphasized that he doesn’t even want to think about changes: ‘Right now we have confidence, so the last thing I want is to think about changing anything or thinking about something else. So this is the task of the people I have at home. Just focus on working and working‘.
Although he acknowledges that there are potentially interesting challenges, #12 highlighted his connection to Aprilia: ‘It’s obvious that there are good challenges in this paddock, I won’t say that… it’s obvious that there are challenges that motivate all riders. But right now, in Austin, we made history and I feel something inside that is huge for this factory, for Aprilia. It’s good, I feel this victory and most people were very happy – I only saw that when Valentino [Rossi] won. That was huge for me, that’s a good sign that we are doing a good job‘.
Defining what he will do in 2025 is not an urgency for Viñales, as he explained himself: ‘I’m not in a hurry. Maybe Massimo [Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing] is more than me, but I’m not in a hurry. I want to wait, see the other riders, see what they do. It’s also important… because at this moment I am 29 years old, obviously I am stronger than ever and I feel very young. And I still have a lot of time. So I just want to be here, be present and be focused because I really want to perform very well in every lap and every weekend. So I’m not thinking too much about the future, I just want to enjoy‘.
