Tech3 team boss Guenther Steiner has revealed that the team will decide its 2027 MotoGP rider line-up will be determined when Maverick Vinales returns from injury.
Vinales suffered a shoulder injury at the German MotoGP round last year, but despite attempts to make a comeback, he has yet to return to full fitness after a screw in his shoulder became loose after COTA in March.
He successfully underwent surgery to remove the screw, intending to return for the French Grand Prix before later postponing his comeback to either next week’s Barcelona round or Mugello at the end of May.
With seats for the 2027 rider market being snapped up thick and fast, Steiner says the team will assess its options once Vinales is back on the bike and fully recovered.
“Absolutely, he’s desperate to come back, but like I said before, he needs to be 100 per cent because if you have a Maverick [Vinales] 90 per cent, that’s not good enough, because you see how difficult it is – from the first to the last is only one second,” shared Steiner on the MotoGP world feed.
“If you’re not 100 per cent physically, you can’t do this job.
“So, he needs to be back and then I think the decision will be taken after.
“I think everybody has got time, Maverick is a good guy. You need to give him a chance, but he needs to show what he can do.”
Steiner emphasised that Vinales’ recovery from injury remains the team’s top priority before it begins considering its two seats for the next regulation cycle.
“Everyone expected ‘Oh, they take the crew out and then it’s all good,’ but it’s not like this,” Steiner added.
“But we told him [Vinales] also he needs to be 100 per cent fit; there’s no point that he comes back and rides again [and makes it worse] and then he cannot go anywhere.
“At the moment, it’s Mugello. He’s trying to get fit for Barcelona.”
Tech3 to ‘hopefully’ make May announcement on manufacturer partnership
Not only does Tech3 need to finalise its rider line-up, it must also decide whether KTM machinery will remain its manufacturer choice for 2027.
The 2027 regulations will bring a major overhaul to the rulebook, and although KTM has already begun testing its future plans, its precarious financial situation could ultimately determine its long-term future in MotoGP and the junior categories.
Steiner remains coy on who its potential partner could be, but reports suggest Tech3 could form a new partnership with Honda as the Japanese marque looks to add a third team to the grid.
“At the moment we are still talking, I’m not even saying who we are talking [to],” stated Steiner.
““We want to make sure that we are in a good place for next year – that is our biggest aim. We don’t need a quick decision, we need the right one.
“It’s also very difficult to decide because no one knows what the bikes will be next year, it’s a complete new regulations. It’s one of these years where you say ‘Whatever you do, you take a little bit of a gamble’.
“Also, for me coming in here, being new everything, it takes a bit longer to understand. I want to be sure that I don’t miss anything, jump to a conclusion that in two, three weeks I regret what I did.
“So, I’m speaking with a few people and hopefully in the next two weeks we make an announcement.”