KTM announced this Thursday the signing of Maverick Viñales for the 2025 MotoGP season with KTM Tech3, meaning the rider chose not to renew with Aprilia, despite being in good form with the Noale manufacturer.
Pit Beirer, KTM Motorsport Director, spoke to SPEEDWEEK.com about the process that led to the Spanish rider’s signing: ‘Things progressed very quickly. It was a bit of a positive surprise that he was very open to us and didn’t just want an offer. He has a good team and a good bike’.
The Austrian then said: ‘We sat down and talked about the conditions, and we reached an agreement. There wasn’t any back and forth. That gave us a very good feeling and was a great experience. We thought about it, but I couldn’t say until recently that it was truly realistic. But it was clear that when things happened as they did in Mugello, you have to react quickly to set up your team. The riders want to decide quickly. We did our homework and were ready to act at the right moment’.
On the timing of the final decision, Beirer revealed: ‘Wednesday evening, at 20:00’.