Maverick Viñales (KTM): “We have to go, otherwise we’ll get a penalty”

Finishing eighth in Friday afternoon’s free practice, Maverick Viñales put in a stunning performance at Sepang, securing a direct place in Q2 for the first time this year. In Q2 on Saturday morning, the Spaniard finished last, which meant he started from 12th on the grid. From there, he dropped back to 15th and 14th in the afternoon sprint and Sunday’s Grand Prix, despite rivals ahead of him crashing, retiring or pulling out.

Maverick was in good spirits after the races, as he hadn’t even been able to finish the Sprint at Phillip Island. “It’s a question of pain; that’s the only limiting factor,” explained the 10-time MotoGP winner from the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team. “With the pain in my shoulder, it’s not possible to muster all the strength needed to handle the bike properly. The fact that I was able to ride with less pain in Malaysia was down to the track and the treatment I’ve been receiving since Australia.”

Vinales: When the pain gets worse, everything changes

Based on these comments, it’s easy to see why things became increasingly difficult for Viñales as the weekend progressed. “I finished the race and was lucky to pick up a few points,” summarised the Spaniard. “It was a tough weekend, though not that bad. I struggled to find a good feeling. When the grip is very low, I still don’t know how to ride the bike. I constantly have to correct my lines. When the pain in my shoulder gets worse, I automatically brake a bit differently.”

Willkommen zum Rennen in Sepang

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Pecco Bagnaia und Marc Márquez

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Fans

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Fabio Quartararo

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Pedro Acosta

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Start des Rennens

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Enea Bastianini

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Marc Márquez

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Fabio Di'Giannantonio

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Alex Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Fabio Quartararo

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Brad Binder

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Marc Márquez

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Alex Márquez

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Ai Ogura und Marco Bezzecchi

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Pedro Acosta

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Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Marc Márquez und Team

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Pedro Acosta, Marc Márquez, Alex Márquez

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Willkommen zum Rennen in Sepang

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“I hope I can recover enough by then,” said Viñales regarding his physical condition. “It looks as though it’ll be a normal weekend for MotoGP. So we have to go; otherwise, we’ll certainly face a penalty. I’m dreading going there. But not because of the situation there, but because I’ll feel completely different. My confidence isn’t what it used to be.”