Maverick Viñales after Sachsenring setback: No idea what to do

For months, Maverick Viñales (Red Bull KTM Tech3) played down his health issues, but following the MotoGP race at the Sachsenring and some disastrous results, he finally addressed his problems head-on.

Ivo Schützbach

MotoGP

14.07.2026 - 11:55

This article is an automatically generated English version. The original article was published in German.

Maverick Vinales redete sich auf dem Sachsenring um Kopf und Kragen
© gold & goose

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Maverick Viñales

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Penultimate on the grid, last in both races: to describe Maverick Viñales’s weekend at the Sachsenring as simply ‘bad’ would be an understatement. Whilst the Spaniard had cited a lack of feel for the front wheel of his KTM as the cause of his dismal performances up until Saturday evening – and also mentioned mental difficulties – more and more experts in the paddock were questioning his fitness following his long recovery period.

After the Grand Prix, the Spaniard admitted to shortcomings. “Physically, I didn’t give it my all,” said Viñales, who retired whilst in last place four laps before the chequered flag. “I need to work on regaining the strength I’ve lost. Sometimes I feel normal, but obviously I’m not fully recovered yet. I’m training and trying everything, but I can’t brake properly. I’m trying to understand what I need to do – it feels as though it’s taking an age.”

The ordeal began a year ago

The Spaniard’s ordeal had begun exactly one year earlier, on 12 July 2025, at the Sachsenring: in the first lap of Q2, he had gone off the track on a wet surface following a highside and injured his left shoulder.

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Maverick Viñales

What followed was a period of rehabilitation which, although medically complete, continues for Viñales in sporting terms. In mid-May, he made his final comeback in Barcelona, but has since managed to scrape together just ten points from twelve races. His Tech3 team-mate Enea Bastianini scored 37 points over the same period, whilst Pedro Acosta, the top KTM rider, picked up 65 points.

Vinales cannot give his all

“This is a difficult situation for me because I can’t give my all,” Vinales noted. “If I were in these positions whilst giving my all, that would be tough. But I can’t ride well. And I don’t understand how to handle this bike. It just doesn’t click.”

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MotoGP is now on its summer break before action resumes at Silverstone on the weekend of 7–9 August. “My main focus will be on recovering from my shoulder injury; I don’t even want to think about the future,” said the ten-time MotoGP winner, who is riding his final season in the premier class. “At the end of the day, I want to put on a good show in the races and not just go round in circles. I made sure I came back as quickly as possible because I sensed an opportunity to move to the factory team. It’s hard to say whether that was too soon. I’ve learnt from this: if you’re not at 100 per cent, it’s better to recover. But you can’t change the past. I now have three weeks to work on my recovery.”

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