Tech3 boss Guenther Steiner says the team never presented Maverick Viñales with a deal for the 2027 MotoGP season. He also said the Spaniard was not among the options considered by Tech3. The statement directly affects the future of the 10-time MotoGP race winner, who at one stage appeared likely to remain a KTM rider after Tech3’s strong first half of the 2025 campaign.

The account is not entirely one-sided. Viñales has said that he signed an agreement during the summer to stay with KTM through Tech3, only for the manufacturer to revoke it. Crash.net presents that claim separately from Steiner’s answer: when asked whether Tech3 had ever put a deal to Viñales, the team boss replied no. A possible promotion to the factory KTM squad also failed to materialise as Viñales’ form dipped while he was dealing with a shoulder problem.

For 2027, both Tech3 riders will be contracted directly to the team rather than to KTM. Tech3 has confirmed Senna Agius as Luca Marini’s teammate, and Crash.net reports that all places on the 2027 grid are therefore secured, describing Viñales’ MotoGP exit as official.

Viñales’ immediate concern remains his recovery. He has been absent since the summer break with a shoulder injury and said during the week of the Austrian Grand Prix that he was not yet fit to ride. Steiner said he had no precise update because the situation was complicated. He stressed that returning too early would serve no purpose, arguing that Viñales should first be healthy as a person rather than merely ready to compete. That puts rehabilitation ahead of any short-term comeback, while leaving the rider’s longer-term plans outside the confirmed 2027 Tech3 line-up.