There is nothing quite as brutal in motorsport as a machine you simply cannot tame, and as Motorsport.com Italia reports, Maverick Viñales is reaching his absolute breaking point with a lingering left shoulder injury. The KTM Tech 3 rider admitted this Saturday in Qatar that he is seriously considering stepping away from competition once more, even acknowledging that he would not be paid for the remaining two races.
It is a heavy toll for any competitor, let alone one wrestling a MotoGP prototype. Viñales originally suffered the injury last year in Germany on July 12, an ordeal that has since required two surgeries. After sitting out until the start of the Asian tour in Japan on October 4, financial realities briefly forced him back into the saddle. Weeks ago during the Australian GP weekend, he openly confessed that staying home meant losing his salary, a stark reminder of the unforgiving economic side of the paddock that pushed him into a rushed return.
I have to think about it carefully, I don't know if I can endure all this anymore,
Unfortunately, the physical reality has caught up in a devastating way. This weekend in Qatar, the Spanish rider appeared completely drained as the pain from his shoulder radiated down his entire arm, leaving him entirely devoid of the strength required to pilot his KTM.
"It makes no sense to continue like this, I'm just hurting myself mentally. It's riding just for the sake of riding. I'm starting to not bear not going fast because of my physique," Viñales said. "What I want is to stop and get back to a hundred percent, which I doubt will happen this year."
The struggle on track has stripped away any joy from racing. With three consecutive race weekends proving too much for his current physical state, Viñales described the experience of riding as horrible and noted that he lacks strength right from Friday onward. The limitations are particularly glaring on right-hand corners, where he feels like a completely different rider due to his compromised left arm.
When asked if he might sit out the very race on Sunday in Qatar, he admitted uncertainty. "I have to think about it carefully, I don't know if I can endure all this anymore," he said. Reflecting on the situation, he added that it would have been better to stop earlier to recover properly for Portugal, though he now recognizes there is little chance of arriving there in good shape with just two weeks remaining.
MotoGP
