Why Dani Pedrosa won't replace Maverick Vinales at Le Mans, despite his form

Photos of a distressed Maverick Vinales published on social media this weekend hinted at bad news regarding his return at the French MotoGP. Now, after undergoing surgery in early April to remove a screw that had been fixing his left shoulder, the Tech3 rider has been advised to miss the race at Le Mans.

After undergoing surgery related to the injury he sustained last July, Vinales’ first goal was to return at the Spanish GP on April 26 but, after failing to do so, he focused his efforts on getting back on the bike at Le Mans – his team’s home race.

However, Vinales visited the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre (APC) last week, where he was advised to take it easy and wait longer for his return. Now, the Spaniard is expected to make his comeback at his home GP in Barcelona on May 17.

By regulation, MotoGP teams must field two riders at each grand prix, unless more than 10 days pass between the race a rider misses and the next one. Therefore, Tech3 was already required to bring in a replacement for Vinales at Jerez two weeks ago. The problem, then, was that the designated rider, Pol Espargaro, got injured while training.

Even at that time, it was surprising that KTM – the manufacturer supplying bikes and riders to Tech3 – could not convince Dani Pedrosa to get on the bike, especially since he was going to be in Jerez for the official Monday tests.

However, it is now understood that Espargaro’s unexpected injury left little time to organise a replacement.

Dani Pedrosa, KTM Factory Racing, Pol Espargaró, KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Two weeks later, though, the situation is the same. Vinales and Espargaro are still recovering, but KTM cannot convince Pedrosa and has to dig into the past to find a retired rider who can replace Vinales. The solution: Jonas Folger will race in Le Mans for Tech3.

Six races in the last nine years

The German, who turns 33 in August, debuted in the world championship in 2008, racing in 125cc until 2011 and in Moto3 – after the category changed name – until 2013. He then moved up to Moto2, where he competed between 2014 and 2016.

Tech3-Yamaha promoted him to the premier class in 2017, achieving his best result at the German GP, where he led five laps and finished second, three seconds behind Marc Marquez and seven ahead of Pedrosa, surprising everyone.

Four races later, after the Aragon GP, it was announced that Folger had contracted mononucleosis, which led him to step away from motorcycle racing temporarily.

However, Folger never returned as a full-time rider in the premier class, despite attempts to come back. He secured a Moto2 seat, competing in five grands prix in 2019 (scoring zero points), without continuity.

In 2023, after Espargaro’s serious injury at the Portuguese GP (the first race of that season), the GasGas-Tech3 team called on Folger to replace him. The German competed in six grands prix, finishing 12th in Austin – his best result. Interestingly, Folger scored nine points, a decent haul, although he finished last in every race he entered except the first, where he crossed the line ahead of Brad Binder, who crashed and remounted.

Jonas Folger’s final MotoGP race was with Tech3 GASGAS at Assen in 2023

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

In Italy, where he finished 19th, Folger was 78.9 seconds behind the winner, Francesco Bagnaia. In his last appearance, he scored one point (14th) at Assen on June 25, 2023. By next weekend, when he returns to a MotoGP bike very different from those days, 1,050 days will have passed.

Pedrosa will not race again

With Vinales and Espargaro injured, logic suggests KTM would have tried to convince Pedrosa – its Austrian manufacturer’s test and development rider – to compete in the French GP. The three-time world champion is in excellent shape, as shown by his appearance and lap times at Jerez during the official MotoGP test.

Just last Monday, Pedrosa completed the test day with 30 laps and a best time of 1:37.483, about one and a half seconds off Ai Ogura, the fastest rider of the day. Additionally, KTM conducted private tests at the same circuit on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Catalan rider may not be in a position to win, but he certainly wouldn’t look out of place in a race. In fact, in his last appearance at the 2024 Spanish GP, he made it onto the podium in Saturday’s sprint after finishing fourth and being promoted when Fabio Quartararo (who finished third) was penalised for tyre pressure regulations.

Dani Pedrosa, last Monday in Jerez testing with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Hazrin Yeob Men Shah / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

So, why isn’t he racing? Pedrosa recently made it clear that he has decided never to race again: “My time has passed,” the #26 said in an interview with Motorsport.com. “In principle, I’m not going to race again.

“I’m comfortable and happy with my test rider role. I did my wild cards, and now Pol has priority to do them because he’s very eager as well. I think my time has passed, so I understand that now it’s time for the younger riders.”

Another, less romantic reason is that since joining KTM as a test rider in 2018, Pedrosa’s contract renewals have gradually decreased in duration and pay. The latest renewal, during the Austrian manufacturer’s severe financial crisis, included a significant pay cut and no longer offers bonuses for wild card appearances.

While this is likely not the main reason for his decision not to race again, it may have played a part.