Maverick Vinales back in Motegi: Why the comeback is also a farewell

• Comeback at the Japanese GP from October 2 to 4, 2026, provided the medical check on Thursday goes well
• Last race outing at the Sachsenring in July, after which Pol Espargaro stepped in at Silverstone, Aragon, Misano and Spielberg
• There is no seat for Vinales in 2027, as Tech3 will then rely on Luca Marini and Senna Agius

Tech3 confirmed the return in a press release on Monday evening. Maverick Vinales will be back on the KTM RC16 at the Japanese Grand Prix, round 16 of the 2026 MotoGP season. The 31-year-old from Figueres contested his last race weekend at the Sachsenring in July, which means around 82 days will have passed by the time he reaches Motegi. The Vinales comeback matters to several parties at once. For the rider, the question is whether his left shoulder can hold up over a full race weekend. KTM gets back a test rider who is urgently needed for the new 850cc generation. And for MotoGP, it marks the beginning of the farewell of a ten-time Grand Prix winner.

When will Maverick Vinales race in MotoGP again?

Maverick Vinales is set to return at the Japanese Grand Prix at the Mobility Resort Motegi from October 2 to 4, 2026. Before that, he still has to pass the medical check at the track on Thursday, but the team expects him to race.

This means Tech3 will once again line up with both of its regular riders, with Vinales sharing the garage with Enea Bastianini again. The return had already been hinted at the previous week. At the Red Bull Ring test on the Monday after the Austrian GP, Vinales surprisingly appeared on the entry list. It was the first time since the Sachsenring that he had turned laps on a MotoGP bike. From what is known, he did not ride the new 850cc prototype but the current 1000cc machine. This was made possible by a rule introduced in 2025 that allows long-term injured regular riders to carry out private tests. The shoulder appears to have responded well, otherwise the next comeback attempt would hardly have been announced so quickly.

Why was Vinales out for so long?

The culprit is his left shoulder, which has been troubling Vinales since a heavy crash in qualifying for the 2025 German GP. Back then, he dislocated and fractured the shoulder and needed surgery.

Rehabilitation took longer than expected. Even at the start of the 2026 season, he lacked strength and mobility in his arm on the bike. Examinations then revealed that a screw from the first operation had come loose. After cutting his race weekend in Austin short, Vinales had the screw removed in Italy in early April. He missed the races in Jerez and Le Mans. He did return in Barcelona, but physically he was still not fit enough for the demands of MotoGP.

What happened at the 2026 German GP at the Sachsenring?

The problem became particularly clear at the Sachsenring. The track consists almost entirely of left-hand corners, and that is exactly where his left shoulder lacked strength. Vinales ran well adrift at the back of the field and pulled into the pits after 26 of 30 laps. Afterwards, he explained that after just ten laps he could no longer give everything physically. Under braking, he even had to ride completely straight because otherwise he would not have been able to hold himself on the bike with his hand.

Looking back, he admitted that his return in 2025 may have come too early. At the time, he had been hoping for a seat in the factory team and had rushed back as a result. The lesson he drew from it was that it is better not to ride if you are not at 100 percent.

Which injury was discovered during the summer break?

During the summer break, doctors found a small tear in the infraspinatus that had previously gone undetected. The infraspinatus is an important shoulder muscle that allows the arm to rotate outwards.

Right after the Sachsenring, the team had decided to let Vinales work on his rehab and muscle building in peace. He was only to return once the doctors were sure he was ready. Where the additional injury came from is still unclear. KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer said at the Aragon GP that nobody could explain to him whether it was caused by a crash or had been there from the start. Tech3 had initially hoped for a return in Aragon, then in Misano. Both dates passed without Vinales appearing in the paddock.

How fit is Maverick Vinales for the Japanese GP?

By his own account, Vinales is not yet at 100 percent. In Motegi, he wants to feel his way back step by step, find out where he stands physically and regain his feeling for the bike.

“I’m not at 100% yet, but I’m on the right path and I feel ready to take this next step. Motegi will be about building things up step by step, understanding where I am physically and getting my feeling back on the bike.”

In recent weeks, Vinales has worked closely with his doctors, with KTM and with the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center. That is also where the final medical and physical tests took place that cleared the way for his return. He expressly thanked the staff and doctors for their support.

Tech3 is also keeping expectations in check. Team manager Nicolas Goyon stresses that the team did not want to rush the process: “Since the beginning of this process, our priority has been to support his recovery and make sure that he returned when he was ready, rather than rushing the process.” Goyon admits that the road was longer than initially expected. A return after such a long break takes time, which is why the team wants to support Vinales throughout the weekend and help him gradually find his rhythm again. In Japan, the focus is therefore more on getting back into the normal routine of a race weekend than on delivering a strong result straight away.

What does the return of Vinales mean for KTM?

For KTM, the main thing is that Pol Espargaro becomes available again. The test rider stepped in for Vinales in four races and was therefore missing from the development of the 850cc bike that MotoGP will race from 2027.

From next season, engine capacity drops to 850cc, and there are only a few months left until the start of the 2027 season. Pit Beirer had already said openly in Aragon that he did not like the situation: “We need Maverick here and Pol in the test programme.” In Europe, racing and testing duties could still be combined reasonably well thanks to the short distances. Between Misano and Spielberg, for example, Espargaro tested the 850cc machine for two days at Mugello. With Motegi, however, the overseas phase of the season begins, and then that would no longer be feasible. KTM needs Espargaro to stay in Europe. He himself had already explained how important it was for Vinales to return in Japan so that he could get back to testing the 850cc prototype. KTM does have a second test rider in Dani Pedrosa, but the situation was far from ideal.

The return also puts an end, for now, to speculation that KTM might bench Vinales for the rest of the season following the dispute over his 2027 contract. Beirer had already made it clear in Aragon that Vinales had not been fired: “This is not the end of Maverick at KTM. He is still one of us and we want to have him back.”

Are these the last MotoGP races of Maverick Vinales?

In all likelihood, yes. KTM did not take up an option on him, no other team made an offer, and Luca Marini and Senna Agius will take over at Tech3 in 2027.

If everything goes to plan, Vinales probably has his last seven MotoGP weekends ahead of him. His plans for the time afterwards are not yet known. The comeback falls into the final phase of the 2026 MotoGP season, while preparations for the 850cc era are running in parallel. For a rider with ten Grand Prix wins in the premier class, it is a quiet farewell in instalments. Whether he can match his former performances once more in Motegi and the following races will become clear in the coming weeks.

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➜ This article is part of our comprehensive overview: 2026 MotoGP Season: The Complete Overview – Teams, Riders, Calendar & Championship Standings. Find all key information on this topic in one place.