Maverick Vinales reveals toll of lengthy shoulder injury ahead of MotoGP return
Maverick Vinales has spoken of the physical toll his lengthy injury layoff took
Tech3 MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales has revealed he lost five kilograms in muscle mass as a result of a long-term shoulder injury, as he gets set to return at the Valencia Grand Prix.
The 10-time grand prix winner injured his shoulder in a crash during qualifying at the German Grand Prix back in July.
The complicated injury has seen him miss numerous rounds since, with Maverick Vinales’ current absence dating back to the Indonesian Grand Prix weekend.
He had planned to return last weekend in Portugal, but elected against this in order to prioritise his fitness for the final round and the post-race test.
Speaking ahead of his return in Valencia, Vinales told the media, including Crash.net: “Yes, for sure [I’ve lost weight], because I cannot work very much with the heavy weights.
“I must go softly just now. All season I was 67kg, more or less, and then when I came back from the injury for Montmelo, Indonesia, I was 63kg, 62kg.
“So, I lost quite a lot. But, in any case, I’m gaining now again, I’m 63kg, 64kg, so it’s not a big disadvantage at the moment.
“The biggest problem for me was the pain, especially in Mandalika.
“Every time I changed direction, I was feeling pain, and the pain was inhibiting the muscles.
“So, I was thinking ‘go’, and nothing happened. That’s the biggest difference.”
He added: “Obviously, I’m not 100%, but I’m not far from it. I have some references outside of MotoGP bikes, with the 600, the 1000, and I’ve been very competitive in terms of lap time.
“So, I feel quite ready for this race. I need to see my level with the MotoGP, because obviously it demands a different way of power.
“But, it was an improvement. It’s just the tendons need a little bit more time to feel comfortable in the weird positions that we do in MotoGP.
“In normal life, I feel completely recovered. But in certain positions on the bike, the tendons are saying ‘a little bit more time’.”
Vinales “quite surprised” by Espargaro’s stand-in form
KTM test rider Pol Espargaro stood in for Maverick Vinales on several occasions during his injury layoffs, the latter heaping praise on his compatriot.
“He was doing so good,” he said.
“Also, he was taking care of my crew, which was very important.
“He did well, to be honest. I think Portimao was not easy for him, because he has not so good memories in Portugal [from his crash in 2023].
“But I think it was good for him to ride to forget those memories. So, probably now he’s much better. But he rode really good. At some tracks, we were quite surprised, especially on Fridays.”
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
