Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi has firmly dismissed reports linking Maverick Vinales to a test rider role with the Borgo Panigale manufacturer for the 2027 MotoGP season. The speculation arose in the paddock following the Spanish rider's uncertain future after his high-profile split from Tech3 and KTM over the summer.
The test rider rumours ignited after a journalist spotted Tardozzi and the ten-time MotoGP race winner walking together from the offices to the hospitality area during a Grand Prix weekend. Observers quickly jumped to conclusions, assuming a professional agreement was already in motion for future technical development duties.
Clarifying the situation, Tardozzi explained that the story was completely fabricated from a casual sighting of two longtime acquaintances. "A journalist came up with the story. I have had a close relationship with Vinales for a long time, and his masseur is a childhood friend of my son. There is a friendship, and they saw us walking from the offices to the hospitality area at Motegi, which is how this rumour came about," Tardozzi told GPOne.
While shutting down the immediate testing links, Tardozzi acknowledged that Ducati will eventually need to evaluate future test rider options. With stalwart test rider Michele Pirro now 40 years old and having stepped away from full-time racing back in 2012, planning for the next generation of development support remains an ongoing item on the manufacturer's long-term radar.
Meanwhile, Vinales previously admitted that he desires a role that provides strong sporting motivation, casting doubt on whether a pure test-riding position would satisfy his ambitions. Nevertheless, given his extensive multi-manufacturer experience on the grid, Vinales would undoubtedly represent a formidable asset for any factory looking to secure elite feedback in the premier class.
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