Maverick Viñales, like most of the riders on the current grid, sees his contract expire at the end of 2024 and as such knows that he will soon be sitting down at the negotiating table. The offers, he assures us, could come from the current manufacturer he represents and beyond, and he is convinced that there will be several teams interested in his services.
Quoted by Motosan, the Spaniard didn’t hide the fact that he’s open to all possibilities and expressed his confidence that he’ll receive plenty of offers: ‘I’m going to think about everything, obviously, I think you have to think carefully, learn from the past, because I’ve learnt a lot, from mistakes and from mistakes I haven’t made. I think I’ll have several offers, not just from Aprilia. I need to think about what I want and what’s going to be best, not just for me, I also have a family, I need to understand the full package that’s going to be best for the future’.
The Spaniard made it clear, however, that he is very happy with Aprilia and that he is fully focused on the brand’s plan: ‘But it’s obvious that I love this company, that it has given me the opportunity and that, in this 2024, my involvement and my commitment are 200 per cent in this project’.
It should be noted that Viñales, according to rumours, may already have had a very interesting offer from Honda, since only Luca Marini has a contract for 2025, as well as Johann Zarco (LCR Honda), while Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami are only insured until the end of this season.
There are also reports that Marini is willing to break his contract with the manufacturer, while Nakagami, supported by the structure and following the words of Lucio Cecchinello, should be safe since the poor results… are not his fault.