MotoGP, Sportrik Media – Former Tech3 team owner Herve Poncharal believes that the serious shoulder injury suffered by Maverick Vinales midway through the 2025 season was the primary reason KTM failed to achieve stronger overall results.
The Spanish rider had initially emerged as the standout performer for the Austrian manufacturer, providing a development direction that later served as a blueprint for his teammates—particularly Pedro Acosta.
A crash at the German Grand Prix, however, resulted in a complicated shoulder injury that severely limited him for the remainder of the year.
Following a difficult winter during which KTM struggled to make significant progress with the RC16 amid a major internal financial crisis Viñales quickly established himself as the strongest rider in the KTM line-up.
He crossed the line in a podium position at the Qatar season opener, only to lose the result due to a post-race tyre pressure infringement.
His chosen set-up path proved vital, enabling others, especially Acosta, to unlock improved performance.
That momentum was abruptly halted by the Sachsenring crash.
An injury initially thought to be minor persisted far longer than anticipated, forcing Viñales to miss most of the second half of the campaign.
The internal competitive push that could have developed between the two Spanish riders never fully materialised.
Although Acosta became a consistent podium threat in the closing stages, Poncharal is convinced that a fully fit Viñales would have driven both riders harder, potentially elevating the entire KTM project.
“I don’t want to play too much ‘if, if, if’ and say things that will never happen,” Poncharal stated during the Valencia Grand Prix weekend.
“The injury we thought was very minor lasted forever. It’s a big disappointment, because earlier in the season he was clearly the best KTM rider.
“We never doubted Pedro would come back, but I think the two of them would have pushed each other and we could have had a much better overall KTM result.”
Ultimately, KTM ended 2025 without a single race victory, extending their win drought to three consecutive seasons.
The absence of a triumph underscores the significant opportunity lost due to Viñales’ prolonged absence.
Meanwhile, Poncharal has stepped away from ownership of Tech3 after selling the team to a consortium led by former Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner.
He will serve in a consultancy capacity in 2026 to support the new ownership transition.
Steiner’s experience leading Haas Formula 1 is expected to bring fresh operational perspective to KTM’s satellite structure.
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