Maverick Vinales set to miss Aragon MotoGP, targets Misano
Maverick Vinales continues recovering from shoulder injuries, with Pol Espargaro expected to make another MotoGP appearance at Aragon.
Fermin Aldeguer and Johann Zarco may be making their MotoGP returns this weekend at Aragon, but the grid still won't be complete.
According to Sky Italia, Maverick Vinales will remain on the sidelines, with KTM test rider Pol Espargaro again taking his place at Tech3.
Vinales has been dogged by shoulder injuries for more than a year, dating back to an accident at the 2025 Sachsenring round.
Further checks at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre during the summer break then revealed “a small tear in the infraspinatus” muscle, at the back of the shoulder blade, prompting the Spaniard to withdraw from Silverstone.
Sky Italia reports that Vinales “is attempting conservative therapy, as surgery now would mean missing the entire final part of the season” and targeting a return at the following Misano round in mid-September.
Even if Vinales, whose best finish this season is 11th, returns to fitness, it appears too late to save his MotoGP career, with Tech3 expected to announce an all-new line-up of Luca Marini and Senna Agius for 2027.
Espargaro scored points with 13th at Silverstone - 14th before Fabio Quartararo’s penalty - in what was his first MotoGP appearance since replacing Vinales at Phillip Island, Sepang and Portimao last season.
The former Tech3, KTM and Honda rider, who has spent much of this year developing KTM’s future 850cc/Pirelli prototype, admitted it was difficult to adapt back to the current 1000cc/Michelin machinery.
“Honestly, I was way too slow,” Espargaro said after the British Grand Prix.
“It's been a long time since I rode here, I do not ride a 1000 bike [due to testing the 850], and what I didn't want this weekend was to make a mistake.
“If I race the next one in Aragon, I believe that would be much better because the confidence is growing and my body and my brain need to think about what happened this weekend, when a lot of inputs were too fast.
“I think if I keep going [at Aragon], everything is going to be better. If not, that’s alright because it would mean that Maverick will come back.”
Vinales’ Tech3 team-mate Enea Bastianini was officially confirmed as a Trackhouse Aprilia rider for 2027 earlier on Monday.
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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.
