Three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo will join forces with Maverick Vinales in 2026 as he becomes his performance coach.

Vinales joined MotoGP with Suzuki in 2015, before he replaced Lorenzo at Yamaha in 2017. He recorded his best finish in the premier class that season with third, and then matched it in 2019.

Lorenzo competed with Vinales from 2015 until his retirement in 2019. Since then, he has remained in the paddock as a pundit, but now, he will get more hands-on in 2026 as he helps his fellow Spaniard behind the scenes at KTM Tech3.

Vinales joined the French outfit from Aprilia in 2025 and has suffered with injury throughout the season. He was the lowest-ranked KTM rider in the standings in 18th, but that is a false position, as he was the first to find the right balance with the RC16.

As 2026 looms, he will be hoping to stay injury-free and have a strong season. That is where Lorenzo comes in, who believes that Vinales has the talent to fight for a championship.

Jorge Lorenzo says Maverick Vinales has ‘nothing to envy’ about the ‘five greats’ of MotoGP

Vinales has grabbed 10 wins and 35 podiums in the premier class, but he has never finished higher than third. Lorenzo thinks he has the talent to win the title, comparing him to the ‘five greats’ of the sport.

Speaking via Duralavita, he claims that he has ‘nothing to envy’ about himself, Marc Marquez, Dani Pedrosa and Valentino Rossi in terms of pure talent. Only Casey Stoner, in Lorenzo’s opinion, had ‘something special’ that the Tech3 rider cannot match.

“Because Maverick has always had talent, and I would compare him to the four or five greats, right? In terms of talent, pure speed, he has nothing to envy,” said Lorenzo.

“Maybe Stoner is the only one who has something more or something special in terms of pure talent, but with Valentino, with Pedrosa, even Marc, me, Maverick, in terms of talent and speed, he has nothing to envy, so I always tell him, right?

“And I don’t want to name names, but if riders with less talent and less natural speed have managed to fight for world championships, why can’t he?”

Jorge Lorenzo wants Maverick Vinales to win races after becoming his performance coach

Lorenzo added that he wants to see the Spaniard win races and finish regularly on the podium during their partnership. He is not sure if he can become a champion, but he believes that he has the talent to do so.

“Well, let’s go for it. Let’s go for it. Let’s see if we can do it. I don’t know if he’ll be champion, but I want him to win lots of races and get on the podium lots of times,” he said.

At present, KTM do not have a bike that can win races. They have not claimed victory since Brad Binder at the 2020 Czech Grand Prix, finishing third in the championship with six podiums in 2025.

Vinales missed eight races this season through injury, but showed promising signs of progress at KTM with two P5 finishes at Le Mans and Assen. With Lorenzo by his side in 2026, he may have what he needs to push on for podiums.

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