Maverick Vinales says he considers his shoulder healed after completing his latest MotoGP comeback at the Japanese Grand Prix last Sunday.
The veteran Spaniard came away from Motegi with two points for 14th place in the main race, rounding off his first full weekend of competition since the German Grand Prix in July.
The Tech 3 KTM rider has been battling a shoulder injury ever since an accident at the 2025 German round, but now sounds confident he can complete the 2026 season.
Vinales said the shoulder injury was no longer a problem, but strength was lacking – an issue that could only be solved by riding.
“My feeling is that the shoulder is healed,” he said. “It just needs more load every time, and to keep building up the strength. In many areas I have strength, but in some others I need to go on the bike, because this I cannot really do in the gym, it’s so hard.”
Vinales said he had been pleasantly surprised to score points given that he was lacking physical fitness and feel for the RC16 after being away for so long.
“Not really, I expected to struggle much more,” he said when asked if he expected points. “I was not worried about the shoulder because I know I can manage, but I was more worried about the arms, as I suffered a lot during the race, especially the forearm. Here it gets really tired with the heavy braking.
Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3
Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images
“So yeah, it was a good training, I think. Also I found some good speed in the middle of the race and at the end, even though I could not push at the maximum.
“We are on a good way. Still I need to understand the bike, you know. I’m not riding perfectly, so I need to keep improving.”
The 31-year-old added that he expected the Indonesian Grand Prix to be easier on the body, despite the intense heat on the island of Lombok.
“Mandalika should be a bit easier, because you don’t have heavy braking. It’s true that you have changes of direction, but [with] changes of direction I have no problems now, like in the past.”
While Vinales was pleased with his recovery and result, he continued to snipe at KTM over the weekend – blaming the Austrian factory for the fact that there will be no seat for him on the MotoGP grid next season.
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