Maverick Vinales insists he ‘doesn’t have to convince anyone’ that he will make a full recovery from his shoulder injury and deserves another MotoGP contract.
A violent highside during last July’s German Grand Prix qualifying continues to plague Vinales almost 12 months on. While the Tech3 rider entered the 2026 season feeling he was fully fit again, persistent issues forced him to withdraw from the third race in Austin and undergo another surgery on his left shoulder.
After missing further races in Jerez and Le Mans, he returned to action in Barcelona last month, but continues to face significant physical limitations.
Heading into this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, he has just one points finish to his name from 2026 – an 11th place finish in Catalan.
Vinales’ fitness issues have come during a crucial stage in the silly season, with only a handful of seats remaining on the rider market. KTM is understood to have signed Alex Marquez and Fabio di Giannantonio for the factory team, while Vinales, Brad Binder and Senna Agius are all vying for the two Tech3 seats.
Asked whether he could offer an update on where he would be racing in 2027, the Spaniard said: “Not yet, and I cannot tell too much [because] I don’t know.”
Pressed further if his 2027 chances depended upon his injury recovery, he added: “No, the shoulder will be good, I mean the shoulder is a matter of [time].”
Vinales was initially considered a shoo-in for a factory promotion in 2027, with KTM earmarking him as a direct replacement for Ducati-bound Pedro Acosta.
However, amid his poor form and lingering shoulder problems early in the year, the Austrian factory instead opted to recruit riders from outside its roster.
Asked if KTM believed he would be able to recover quickly and regain his form, Vinales pointed to his impressive results in 2025 prior to the shoulder injury, including a provisional second place in the Qatar GP that was later stripped due to a tyre pressure penalty.
“I don’t have to convince nobody,” he insisted. “When I was okay at KTM, in that moment, I was the leader. Then, okay, I got injured, but I was in the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre, and they also agree that I will recover 100%.
Maverick Vinales, KTM Tech 3
“Obviously, it’s not easy because it’s been seven months that I haven’t used some muscles. It needs a bit of time. But what is clear is that I’m gonna recover 100%.
“The biggest [question] was that one: if, after the second operation, I was able to recover. But I am able to recover and that’s the point.”
Vinales added he is targeting a return to full fitness by the Czech GP on 21 June.
“Good recovery after a really hard weekend in Mugello,” he said. “On Monday, I was completely fatigued, but after that my body recovered. I feel I have good energy now.
“I think Mugello was fantastic to keep improving the strength, especially on the bike to be able to be faster and stronger.
“Let’s see how I feel on Friday. But after Friday, I have two weeks to fully work on my strength. So for me, my target is to be full strength in Brno.”
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