Vinales Set for Tech3 KTM Comeback at Japanese GP
Vinales returns after a three-month injury layoff and doctors cleared him to race after he logged competitive laps in testing.
- Maverick Vinales will return to action at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi after a three-month hiatus due to shoulder injury, Tech3 KTM announced.
- Vinales suffered complications from a 2025 shoulder fracture at the Sachsenring, requiring corrective surgery to remove a loose screw that sidelined him for the last four rounds.
- During last week's Pirelli test at the Red Bull Ring, Vinales completed several laps on the KTM RC16; he said, "I'm not at 100% yet, but I."
- Tech3 KTM team manager Nicolas Goyon confirmed the return, stating it is "fantastic for the whole team to have our full rider line-up back together."
- While not fully fit, Vinales aims to rebuild strength at Motegi and end his two-year contract with Tech3 on a high; test rider Pol Espargaro returns to developing the new MotoGP machine.
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Maverick Vinales MotoGP return confirmed for Motegi
Pol Espargaro has signalled that Maverick Viñales could make a much-anticipated return to MotoGP action with Tech3 KTM at the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, marking a critical turning point in the rider’s prolonged recovery saga. Viñales, sidelined since July due to a persistent left shoulder injury, has been absent from the past four rounds, with Espargaro stepping in as KTM’s test rider to fill the void. Viñales, who has yet to secure…
After a long stop for the shoulder problem, Maverick Vinales rides back to his KTM in Japan's GP, scheduled for next weekend in Motegi. "I'm happy, the last few months have been long. I've worked a lot to get to this point. I'm not 100%, but I want to understand my shape and feeling with the bike." GP Japan is LIVE on Sky Sport and streaming on NOW on the weekend of October 2-4
Spanish rider Maverick Viñales will take part in the upcoming Japanese Grand Prix after spending three months off the track due to injury, the Tech3 KTM team has officially announced.
Good news for Maverick Viñales. The Roses rider returns to the competition two and a half months after his last race, which he competed in Sachsenring (Germany) before having to leave because of the left shoulder injury, which has caused him so much headache during the last two seasons. The Catalan, who was replaced by Pol Espargaró since the Great Britain Prize, returns to the tracks to face the final stage of the 2026 course.
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