The KTM boss says it is ‘wrong’ to claim the RC16 was built for Pedro Acosta instead of Maverick Vinales.

Acosta won the Thai GP but moved up the ranks of the riders by seven points ahead of Aprilia ace Marco Bezzecchi, who fell out of the lead in the Buriram sprint. Brad Binder He is the second highest KTM rider in sixth, but trails Acosta by 19 points.

Vinyls He was the only KTM rider to fail to secure a point in Buriram. Tech3 Partner Ine Bastianini Getting four in P12 at the Thai GP. Vinales finished the Thai GP in P16, and took the checkered flag for the final points, 3.590s behind Yamaha rival Alex Rins.

Maverick Vinales finds it ‘very difficult’ not to push hard to match Pedro Acosta.

Vinales admitted that he made a “mistake” in the event he organized in ThailandAfter going in a different direction than the other KTM riders, it didn’t pay off for him. Technical director Reese Vinales said that he chose a different seat, but that was only one of the problems that caused him to be late.

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In 2026, he believes the suggestion that KTM made the RC16 more suited to Vinales than Acosta is “wrong”, as the latter is struggling to match the performance its stablemate is capable of. Reis feels Vinales’ problems are linked to a shoulder injury from 2025.

“All four[riders]have the same base bike and the same modular system for more customization,” Reese said. Fast week.

“Also, it is true that Maverick chose a different chair alone, it was his decision, it was not a special development for him.

“It would be a mistake to think that the RC16 as it stands now will suit Pedro better and Maverick. The important thing is that Pedro is very deeply involved in the project and has been involved in the long journey to where we are today.”

“Maverick had to lose a lot of middle points. This lack of experience makes Maverick find the right balance.”

“This means that on the one hand he needs to push hard, but at the same time he doesn’t overexert himself or overwhelm himself. That’s what he finds so difficult.”

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Vinales hit the ground running after joining Tech3 on a two-year factory KTM contract in 2025. It has even been reported. KTM plans to introduce Vinales to replace Binder in 2026But those plans fell through after he struggled to get back into shape after breaking his shoulder.

Viñales dislocated and fractured his left shoulder in a crash during qualifying for the 2025 German Grand Prix in July last year. He tried to make a comeback at the Indonesian Grand Prix in October, but the injury eventually caused him to miss eight Grands Prix.