A struggling Maverick Viñales: “I’ve got no motivation to carry on!”

Last year, Marc Marquez won the Grand Prix in Qatar, but it was another rider who was hailed as the hero: Maverick Viñales. In the 2025 edition of the Sunday race in the Doha desert, ‘Top Gun’ finished in second place. Due to insufficient air pressure in his front tyre, the KTM Tech3 rider was subsequently handed a 16-second penalty, which meant he finished 14th in the final standings.

Nevertheless, Vinales and KTM were delighted with their excellent performance at the Qatar Grand Prix. A string of top results followed – until the race weekend at the Sachsenring, where Vinales injured his shoulder in a crash. The misery that followed is well known.

Things turned out quite differently this year: at the 2026 Qatar Grand Prix, Viñales suffered a disaster. On the starting grid, he was in last place – even behind Honda stand-in Jake Dixon. In Saturday’s sprint race, the Spaniard then finished ahead of the Briton, in 15th place. Vinales finished Sunday’s Grand Prix in 13th place – and once again, only Dixon was behind him.

Was it a difficult race? “Yes, very tough. But also because I had to put a lot of strain on my right arm and then got a bit of arm pump. Nevertheless, I’m satisfied because I finished the race,” said Viñales after the race. “We had a good rhythm halfway through the race, which I hadn’t expected. Then I tried to move up the field, but that was very tricky.”

The physical problems he experienced during the Grand Prix were a cause for concern for the 31-year-old. “My plan is to go to the doctor next week, have all the necessary tests and MRIs done, and see what’s going on. Because obviously something must be broken or something, as I’m not feeling any better,” explained Viñales. “It’s not as though I feel a slight improvement with every race. Either I feel no improvement at all, or I’m in even more pain. So there’s definitely something wrong in there.”

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Maverick Viñales: “If something’s broken, I’ll stop”

For Viñales, the priority is to get through the last two race weekends at Portimão and Valencia in one piece. “If something’s broken, I’ll stop, because there’s no point. I can’t improve,” Viñales made clear. “I don’t like riding right at the back. I hate it on every single lap. So if I see that something’s broken, there’s nothing positive to look forward to and I can’t improve, I’ll stop.”

It has long been clear that Maverick Viñales will not be continuing with KTM beyond 2027. His future is uncertain. Given his current physical condition, he finds it difficult to look to the future with optimism. “I have no motivation to carry on, because when I feel like this, there’s no point in riding at 50 per cent. I don’t feel good inside,” emphasised Viñales. “We’ll see if I’ve broken anything, if I can have an operation, or if I need to recover at home. If not, I’ll stop, because it’s all too complicated for me.”