Maverick Venares appeared to be set to pass the first MotoGP podium of the 2025 season in Qatar.
The Spaniard’s stunning ride for the Tech3 team was cancelled by some important laps spent under minimum tire pressure limits.
Cool temperatures and unexpected racial leads conspired against Venares. But Mark Marquez’s dramatic late race pace may have made all the difference.
Team boss Herb Poncharal explained that Vinall responded to a dashboard warning by opening the door for Marquez to pass.
“The problem for us was that Mark then pushed him to his biggest and opened the gap,” Poncharal said. crash.net.
“If Maverick had been on Mark’s exhaust, we might have been fine, just like Mark was with Alex on Briram.”
Instead, Venales was left on one lap or two laps besides meeting the required 60% laps above the minimum pressure.
The French added: “We have to accept the rules, and that’s the same for everyone. So I don’t scream and complain that it’s unfair. But sentimental, it’s very difficult to swallow.”
Vinales Leads, 2025 Qatar Motogp
“The whole team is with him on the bike.”
The backstory, which appears to be the podium of KTM’s first season, is well known.
After surviving Pierer Mobility’s winter financial hardship, the RC16 project has plunged straight into a performance crisis due to vibration and grip issues.
All results will be counted as the long-term future of the MotoGP project is still unknown, but KTM arrived in Qatar and as the only brand without a top five finish.
The 10th Vinares after a wise soft tire choice in the sprint race, bolted third to the sixth on the opening lap of the Grand Prix, the Tech3 team could barely believe their eyes.
“There’s a lot of effort on the race weekend,” Poncharal said. “So when your rider is doing what Maverick was doing… the whole team is riding his bike with him.
“Then he crosses the finish line at P2 and the team explodes with joy and relief.”
The penalty was technically fair, but hit an emotional chord.
“Our rider had one of his life’s vehicles. It’s on the rules side to demote him, but it’s very difficult on the human side,” added Poncharal.
“We’re not robots. This is a very high level sport… Sometimes it may look a little cold from the outside, but don’t forget that the whole team is really passionate about the sport. We’re with the riders on our bikes.
“So, it was the depression we had after the penalty.”
Maverick Vinals
“Things I’ve never seen in my life”
“Usually, riders need to be most affected by these types and try to cheer him up,” continued Poncharal.
“But Maverick came back later, more than anything, and told the team, “Hey, smile, we did it! Let’s celebrate.”
“The way Maverick acted in that situation is something I’ve never seen in my life, and I’ve been racing for the last half century!
“Maverick had very bad luck in Texas and Qatar, but he was still someone trying to lift the atmosphere. He was acting like a real star… and proved he had the same right wrist as when he was still young.
“I’m extremely proud to be with him, I hope I can give him what he deserves. And after what happened on Sunday, my motivation was already high, but multiplying 10.
“My mission is to give both riders – Maverick and Enea, no one should forget Enea – as we saw what was possible on Sunday, they deserved support.
“This race was a huge boost for all KTM riders.
Vinales, Marquez, Bagnaia, 2025 Qatar Motogp
Marquez, Bagnaia and Latezzi praise KTM
In the video in the cooldown room, Marquez and Ducati Lenovo teammate Francesco Bagnaia praised Vienal and KTM.
“It was really nice to hear Pecco and Mark be surprised by what Maverick and KTM are doing,” Poncharal said. “They mentioned acceleration, how the bike came out of the corner, which is a huge boost for all KTM riders.
“We accept the penalty, but Maverick crossed the line on P2 because we know the performance is there (low pressure) didn’t get us back on track.
“There were also some nice words from Davide Tardozzi of Parc Ferme.
“It’s important that the championships, and even the winning makers, compete and be challenged.”
Vinales, Marquez, 2025 Qatar Motogp
Can Vinales and KTM do that again?
The big question now is whether Vinales and KTM have made a breakthrough or if the stars are fully aligned in Qatar.
The next round at Jerez proved crucial.
“Even though we felt in Texas and the good Saturday in Qatar, we didn’t expect that,” Pontchar admitted.
“We know that Maverick loves Texas. Maverick loves Qatar. We know that last year, last year the bike was good. Jerez, Le Mans and Silverstone are very different circuits.
“So this is a big question mark for us too. Jeres is almost the opposite of the last two tracks, especially the previous ones. But if you get faster there, it’s a very good signal. That’s what we need to see now.”