Vinales’s visit to KTM headquarters shows contrast in mood with Acosta

The serenity and optimism that Maverick Vinales shows toward KTM – promoting “patience, calm, hard work, and perseverance” – stands in sharp contrast to Pedro Acosta’s current frame of mind in MotoGP.

Like Acosta, Vinales also visited KTM’s headquarters in Austria earlier this week, although their experiences couldn’t have been more different.

“I just went to fix a small issue with the seat, that’s it,” Acosta said when asked about the importance of visiting the factory during these turbulent times.

In contrast to Acosta, who downplayed the trip’s significance, Vinales emphasised its symbolic meaning – a sign of commitment that he hopes will be mutual.

“We went there to work and to motivate, to try to inspire people to keep pushing,” Vinales explained, who is undoubtedly the KTM rider most satisfied with his progress. In his first year in the KTM fold, Vinales holds 12th place in the overall standings, although it’s worth noting he would be much higher in the standings had he not lost his second place in the Qatar Grand Prix due to irregular front tyre pressure.

Each of the four KTM riders’ experiences reflect their individual states of mind at the manufacturers current plight in MotoGP.

“Every rider is experiencing their time with KTM differently, and at different points in their careers. I see it with Enea [Bastianini] and Brad [Binder] as well,” Vinales commented in Aragon, referring to the challenges his Tech3 team-mate and the South African rider in the factory team are facing.

“I approach it differently, based on my past experience – where patience, calm, hard work, and perseverance paid off. I know very well that’s the formula right now,” he added, with the Spanish rider also set to test new components on Monday.

“To achieve success, everyone has to be giving 100%, both at the factory and at the track. It was good to go there, to support and take care of them – so they keep pushing. There have been races where we could have been on the podium; we’re just missing small details, a tenth of a second.

“On Monday we’ll be testing things, especially in aerodynamics. Of course, the new parts might work – or not. But what reassures me is that the factory is not resting; they’re working full-time.”