As Motorsport.com reports, Maverick Vinales is finally returning to the MotoGP grid this weekend at Motegi after sitting out the last five races with a shoulder injury. The Spaniard admits that during his lengthy absence, he genuinely thought his racing days for the 2026 season were done.
His trust in the Austrian manufacturer is completely shattered, and the feeling extends even to Guenther Steiner, the public face of the investors who took over the Tech 3 team last year. Back in the winter, Mattighofen executives promised Vinales a spot in the factory garage for 2027. But his inconsistent form in the early part of the year—stemming from a damaged infraspinatus tendon in his right shoulder—caused KTM to completely reverse course. They dropped him from both the factory structure and the satellite team.
The real blow came when KTM failed to inform him officially until June 30, leaving him with zero available seats on next year's grid. The physical toll was just as brutal. He packed it in on Saturday at the German Grand Prix due to arm limitations, convinced his career was finished, and spent the summer at his holiday home in Roses with his wife and two daughters instead of racing. He tried healing through multiple treatments to dodge another surgery, including platelet-rich plasma injections that he notes improve his condition by roughly 10% each month.
Despite the fractured relationship with both the marque and Steiner, a surprise phone call arrived 10 days ago from the former Haas team principal asking Vinales to test at the Red Bull Ring on the Monday following the Austrian GP. Vinales actually asked to race in Austria, though KTM initially rejected that request to avoid a poor result at their home event. After a sprint simulation on Monday cleared him, and positive conclusions from that test, he is ready to ride again in Japan.
“I thought I wasn't going to race again this year. I was very surprised when they called me to do the test, and even more so that they let me try next year's bike,” Vinales told Motorsport.com.
“The truth is, I don't understand KTM. I just don't understand what wants from me. I've tried many times to find some logic in everything that has happened to me over these past four months, and I can't find it anywhere.”
His immediate goal at Motegi is simply to complete every single session and cross the finish line on Sunday, viewing it as a stepping stone toward a potential test rider role to get back on the grid. WorldSBK holds zero appeal for him compared to waiting for the right MotoGP opportunity. Describing next year's machines as powerful Moto2 bikes, Vinales insists he is not ready to quit just yet.
