Maverick Vinales travels to Austrian MotoGP but has a fitness question to answer
KTM rider has been absent for a month
Tech3 MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales will stage his return to racing from injury this weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix, having been absent since Saturday in Germany.
The 10-time premier class grand prix winner suffered a heavy crash during qualifying for the German Grand Prix at the beginning of July.
Maverick Vinales dislocated his shoulder and also suffered a fracture in it, which ruled him out of the rest of the German Grand Prix weekend and the entirety of the Czech Grand Prix at Brno a few days later.
While he is yet to be cleared by MotoGP doctors (a medical check will happen on Thursday at the Austrian Grand Prix) Vinales will attempt to race this weekend as the summer break for the series comes to an end.
Maverick Vinales fitness update for Austrian MotoGP
"The injury in Sachsenring was unfortunate, but we have worked really hard with all the people around me to be able to travel to Austria, just one month after the crash in Germany,” he said ahead of the event.
“I was able to get back to training last week, and we have been doing a lot of physio to help the shoulder heal faster and get stronger.
“I have not been on a bike for a month, so we will have to wait for Friday to evaluate our form, and understand if we can be competitive.
“It is going to be important to take it step by step.
“I am super happy to be able to attend the Austrian Grand Prix, it is KTM's home round, and it was very important for me to be in Spielberg to represent our colours.
“The track is so nice, so I am super excited to reunite with the team and take things where we left them.
“They did a great job with Pol [Espargaro] in Brno in my absence, and I would like to say a special thank you to Pol for the work done with the team!”
Vinales comes to KTM’s home event just a few weeks on from the marque scoring its first official podium of the season at Brno, when Pedro Acosta was third in the Czech Grand Prix.
In Qatar, Vinales did cross the finish line second on the road, but was later handed a penalty for a tyre pressure infringement.
After 12 rounds of 2025, Vinales is 11th in the standings on 69 points and is 55 down on leading KTM rider Pedro Acosta.
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