Injured Maverick Vinales cuts practice short, Saturday decision “when I wake up”

After missing Brno due to shoulder surgery, Maverick Vinales made his MotoGP comeback with 16 laps in FP1 at the Red Bull Ring on Friday morning.

However, the Tech3 KTM rider then called a halt to his afternoon Practice activities after just six laps.

Vinales spent the remainder of the session in the pits with an ice pack on the shoulder he injured at Sachsenring.

But the Spaniard hasn’t ruled out a return to action on Saturday, saying a decision will be made based on how his shoulder feels when he wakes up.

“We arrived here in Austria with the idea to just do some laps, and I could do the entire FP1, which is good already,” said Vinales, who was 1.3s from leader Marc Marquez in the opening session.

“The shoulder was not so bad this morning, but in the afternoon, it got a bit more rigid, with less mobility, and it was harder for me to stay inside the bike in the main straight against the wind, so we decided to stop, and see how I recover for tomorrow.

“At the moment, it is really important to listen to the body, to the shoulder, and do the correct steps. The speed is there, it is just a matter of being at 100%, but every lap I make will bring me back to full physical condition. 

"We will see how I feel tomorrow morning when I wake up, and make a decision for the day.”

Team-mate Enea Bastianini finished the opening day of KTM’s home round in eleventh, missing direct access to Qualifying 2 by just 0.011s to fellow RC16 rider Brad Binder.

The Italian also joined the factory squad in debuting a revised fairing package.

“I felt fast right away this morning and I was really close to the other riders, but this afternoon it was a bit more difficult,” said Bastianini. 

“We know it, when the conditions get hotter, I struggle more to manage the front of my bike, and I miss a bit of support from the front.

“However, the new fairing is quite good, I like it, and I am happy with the updates received this weekend. Let's continue working, and see how we can be on Saturday.”

Pedro Acosta was KTM’s lead rider in second place, behind Marquez.