Money on offer at Honda has “distracted” Maverick Vinales

Maverick Vinales is reportedly “distracted” by the money he could earn by joining Honda.

The 2025 MotoGP rider line-up is still taking shape and some significant changes are set to come.

Vinales’ contract is due to expire although Aprilia are also waiting to discover if Aleix Espargaro will retire, and would prefer to keep both of their factory riders next year.

Honda might be having a dreadful season on-track yet the contracts they are able to dish out are still of interest to riders with much better bikes.

MotoGP riders “know that they can ask for a few Euros more than what is offered by the competition” if they go to Honda, Motosprint report.

Vinales is “distracted” by what he could earn at Honda, the report states.

Because although his RS-GP is incomparably more competitive than the RC213V, he knows that the Japanese manufacturer pays much more than his Italian employer.

For example, Aprilia were supposedly blown out of the water in their attempt to sign Fabio Quartararo by Yamaha’s power to make him the highest-paid rider in MotoGP.

Honda have Luca Marini (Repsol) and Johann Zarco (LCR) contracted for 2025 but Joan Mir and Takaaki Nakagami’s futures are unclear.

In-form Vinales might never have a more valuable time to negotiate with rival manufacturers.

By winning the Grand Prix of the Americas, Vinales became the first MotoGP rider to win with three different brands.

He has also won two sprint races this season.

Switching to Honda would give him a dream of winning with a fourth brand, and would reinforce his bank balance.

But Marini - who made the move from VR46 to replace Marc Marquez at Repsol Honda - has experienced a woeful time so far.

Marini is the only MotoGP rider without a point this season and has routinely been at the back, a potential warning for Vinales that the Japanese manufacturer still has a very long way to go in its recovery mission.

Honda have also been linked to Jack Miller and even Jorge Martin.