Retired from MotoGP, three-time premier-class World Champion Jorge Lorenzo had traded early-morning debriefs for late wake-up calls, and race weekends for globetrotting escapes to sun-soaked beaches. From investment ventures to launching his own podcast, life after racing was comfortable, but something was missing.
So when the call came, the Spaniard didn’t hesitate for long. Now Lorenzo is ‘back in his world,’ and with a clear mission.
It was, of course, Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) on the other end of the line, and Lorenzo is back to reignite something which he believes has dimmed over the past five or six years – Viñales’ ruthless edge. Long before the glitz and the glamour of MotoGP, Lorenzo remembers hearing about an eight-year-old prodigy. “Everybody said he was a killer,” he recalled during the Sepang Test. “He hates to lose.”
Somewhere along the way, Lorenzo feels the anger softened, but not the talent. The #99 is adamant that there is no rider quite like ‘Top Gun’ in terms of pure raw speed and talent, and it is his mission to get the best out of Viñales, with Lorenzo claiming the Tech3 rider has redisocvered a sense of urgency: “Now he understands, after having some daughters and spending time with is wife, the next two or three years will be his last. He wants to give more than 100% to be at peace with himself.”
The biggest battles are often internal – and in this case, the fight begins inside KTM’s own garage. For Maverick Viñales and Jorge Lorenzo, the true benchmark is just a few metres away.
Pedro Acosta (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) finished fourth in the 2025 championship and looks poised to be the reference point for the RC16 again in 2026.
Viñales – and now Lorenzo alongside him – intend to challenge that assumption.
“The target this year is to be the top KTM. it won’t be easy as Pedro is coming very strong. He has a lot of energy and talent.
“If Maverick beats Pedro Acosta, then he can be fighting for victories,” says MotoGP Hall of Famer Lorenzo.
Before his German GP injury disrupted his momentum, Viñales had been KTM’s strongest performer, helping guide the overall direction of the RC16. His winter frustration was understandable; in MotoGP, Lorenzo noted, life can change in a split second. But the relief after Sepang – particularly seeing the injured shoulder withstand a crash – removed the final physical doubt. The foundation is there again for Maverick.
Now, with his body healed and urgency restored, the question isn’t whether Maverick Viñales is quick enough, but whether he can rediscover the killer instinct that has already delivered 10 MotoGP victories across three manufacturers – and could yet see him become the first rider to win with four.
For Jorge Lorenzo, the objective is simple: help one of the grid’s most naturally gifted veterans rediscover his very best version – and make him KTM’s reference in the process.