Maverick Viñales reveals KTM rejected his signed MotoGP contract

Maverick Viñales has said that he signed a new MotoGP contract with KTM, but the team later told him that the agreement was not valid.

The Spanish rider spoke about the situation during the MotoGP weekend at the Sachsenring. He admitted that he now feels "outside this world" when talking about MotoGP and is unsure if he will continue racing in the championship.

Viñales explained that he no longer speaks with KTM because the talks about his future have ended. He believes the final discussions took place last week, and since then there has been no contact between him and the Austrian manufacturer.

The 2027 MotoGP rider market is almost complete, with very few seats still available. Tech3, the KTM satellite team where Viñales currently races, is one of the last teams yet to confirm its line-up for next season. However, Viñales believes he will not be part of KTM's plans.

He said he first realised this after reports suggested that Italian rider Fabio Di Giannantonio would replace him. Viñales asked KTM if the rumours were true. He then received a contract by email while he was at the Mugello Grand Prix.

Although he said the deal was not good for him financially or professionally, Viñales decided to sign it because he wanted to keep racing with KTM. He said he trusted the team's engineers and believed they could continue improving the bike.

However, around two weeks later, KTM informed him that the contract he had signed was not valid. Viñales admitted that this was a huge disappointment and made him feel that he was not being treated seriously.

He said this experience changed the way he feels about MotoGP and left him questioning whether he wants to remain in the championship. With almost every seat already taken for 2027, his chances of staying on the grid appear very small.

Despite his disappointment, Viñales made it clear that he has not lost his passion for motorcycle racing. He still enjoys riding and has always loved motocross. He also said he would be interested in trying different types of racing in the future.

One event that caught his attention was the famous Suzuka 8 Hours endurance race in Japan. After watching fellow MotoGP rider Jack Miller compete there, Viñales said it looked like great fun and could be something he would like to try one day.

For now, though, the 31-year-old says he is not searching for another racing job. Instead, he wants to take a long holiday and spend time away from the sport before making any decisions about his future.

Viñales is one of the most experienced riders on the current MotoGP grid. During his career, he has won races with both Suzuki and Yamaha and later became the first rider in the modern MotoGP era to win grands prix for three different manufacturers after adding Aprilia to that list. However, his time with KTM now appears to be coming to an unexpected end.