Maverick Viñales remains highly optimistic about his KTM RC16’s performance level despite a tough start to the Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez. The Spanish rider, now with Red Bull KTM, believes that his bike still has the strong potential it showed earlier this season in Qatar.
Viñales’ 2025 MotoGP season began with a mixed bag of emotions. In Qatar, he delivered an outstanding ride that originally saw him finish second. However, a post-race penalty for a minor tyre pressure violation dropped him to 14th. Despite that frustration, Viñales drew confidence from the fact that his actual race pace was strong enough to fight at the very front.
Heading into the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, many eyes were on Viñales to see if he could bring the same kind of pace to Jerez. And early signs were promising. During Friday’s first free practice session, Viñales placed fourth, showing good speed and stability. In the second session, he briefly climbed to second place before a technical problem halted his final time attack run.
Without that final push, Viñales slipped down the order to 14th overall. It was a disappointing outcome because it now forces him to take part in Q1, the first part of qualifying, instead of directly advancing to Q2 with the fastest group. It’s the first time since the Argentina Grand Prix that Viñales finds himself needing to battle through the early qualifying stage.
Still, the Spaniard is refusing to let the setback shake his confidence.
“Honestly, today was very positive,” Viñales said after Friday’s sessions. “I feel good with the bike. I’m missing just two-tenths of a second to be up there fighting for the top four. I think we can find that during the weekend.”
Viñales praised the improvements made to his KTM package, suggesting that the competitiveness he showed in Qatar was not a one-off. According to him, the bike feels just as good now as it did during that strong opening weekend. His words send a clear signal that he believes victories and podiums are still within reach.
However, Viñales did acknowledge that Ducati riders currently have a small advantage at Jerez, especially through the faster corners.
“The Ducatis are very strong in fast corners. They carry a lot of speed. But we are not far. We just need to fine-tune a few details, especially in the last sector,” he explained.
Jerez has traditionally been a track where rider confidence and setup are crucial. The tight, twisting layout rewards bikes with good balance, agility, and acceleration out of slow corners — all areas where KTM has made major improvements over the past two seasons. Yet, small setup issues can still have a big impact, especially when the field is separated by mere tenths of a second.
Viñales isn’t the only KTM rider facing challenges. Teammate Enea Bastianini and fellow factory KTM star Brad Binder also encountered difficulties during practice. Bastianini reported instability and trouble turning in the faster sections of the track. Binder, on the other hand, made a significant change by adopting a bike balance closer to Viñales’ Qatar setup, leading to notable improvements by the end of the day.
Despite not achieving the ideal Friday result, Viñales remains focused on the bigger picture. His goal is to consistently stay among the top five throughout the season and fight for wins when opportunities arise.
This mindset marks a significant shift from previous years when Viñales often struggled with inconsistency. Now, with a more stable KTM package and a team fully behind him, he seems better positioned to deliver strong, steady performances.
“We have to stay calm and keep working,” Viñales said. “The important thing is that the feeling is there. When you feel the bike is capable, you know the results will come.”
Saturday’s qualifying sessions will be critical for Viñales. Starting from the first rows is almost essential at Jerez, a circuit where overtaking can be difficult due to its narrow and technical layout. A good qualifying result could put him back in the fight for a podium on Sunday.
Fans and analysts alike will be watching closely. Many believe that if Viñales can recover from Friday’s troubles and show the kind of race pace he demonstrated in Qatar, he could be one of the key contenders not just for the Spanish Grand Prix, but also for the remainder of the season.
In a championship already filled with surprises and unpredictable results, Maverick Viñales’ belief in his KTM project could very well make him one of the biggest threats in 2025.
