Vinales back on track after a successful outing: “Better than expected”
Since the summer of 2025, the MotoGP has only featured Spain’s GP veteran Maverick Viñales on a sporadic basis. Now the KTM rider has gradually found his way back – at Motegi, ‘Top Gun’ powered through – and secured World Championship points.
This article is an automatically generated English version. The
Gelungenes GP-Comeback von Maverick Vinales: Platz 14
Foto: Gold and Goose
Gelungenes GP-Comeback von Maverick Vinales: Platz 14
© Gold and Goose
At last, MotoGP veteran Maverick Vinales was back to what he does best – riding. Vinales, who had returned to active GP racing following a safety check with KTM at the Red Bull Ring, confirmed the joint decision at the Japanese Grand Prix. Unsurprisingly, the Catalan – who has been struggling with a shoulder injury since July 2025 – was still some way off the elite in the results, but the number 12 found more confidence and pace as the sessions progressed.
In qualifying, he was around 1.3 seconds off pole position, securing 19th on the grid. This meant the number 12 was, at least, faster than the Pramac Yamaha team with Miller and Razgatlioglu. Vinales then tested himself under race conditions for the first time over the short distance. His sprint comeback was uneventful and therefore a positive sign. Maverick Viñales completed the 12 laps and finished in 15th place, once again ahead of the Yamaha customer team.
Things went even better in the Grand Prix. Viñales put in a flawless performance, which was rewarded with 14th place. The Tech3 rider did not trail behind the field but rode right in the thick of it, leaving the entire Yamaha contingent behind him. Without any drop in lap times over the long distance, the rider – who had been sidelined for a long time – lost less than a second to Marc Marquez on the fastest lap and 1.2 seconds to his team-mate Bastianini, who finished fourth but set the fastest pace of all riders in the race.
Vinales was visibly relieved: “To be honest, it went better than I’d expected. I’d expected it to be more difficult at the GP, though I wasn’t worried about my shoulder so much as my arms; they get very tired here due to the heavy braking. I was still lacking a bit of explosiveness on the bike, but I can improve that with more training in the gym. The most important thing is that I was able to get a feel for the bike and concentrate – and it got better from session to session.”
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The 31-year-old is therefore looking forward to the coming weekend with enthusiasm rather than frustration. “I’m really looking forward to going to Mandalika and continuing to improve. I’ll have to push even harder, but Motegi was a very good training session.”
It wasn’t just for the beleaguered Tech3 team that the start of the second overseas tour ended very successfully. Both factory riders also crossed the finish line. Unlike recently, everyone rode at a comparable level at Motegi. Their colleagues in the Moto3 pits were also satisfied. All four Red Bull-KTM youngsters managed to score points here too, with Alvaro Carpe even making it onto the podium.
Despite a positive showing in Japan, Maverick Viñales is unlikely to head into round 17 of the World Championship without some concerns. The family man from Figueres is still without a ride for 2027.
Willkommen zum Rennen in Motegi
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Pedro Acosta
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Fans
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Pecco Bagnaia
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Jorge Martin
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Start des Rennens
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Jorge Martin
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Ai Ogura
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Fermin Aldeguer
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Marco Bezzecchi
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Pedro Acosta
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Jorge Martin und Marc Márquez
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Raúl Fernández
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Enea Bastianini
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Ogura und Fernández
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Luca Marini
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Marc Márquez gewinnt das Rennen
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Sieger Marc Márquez
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Jorge Martin, Marc Márquez, Marco Bezzecchi
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Sieger Marc Márquez
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Willkommen zum Rennen in Motegi
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