Maverick Vinales to miss Misano MotoGP

Maverick Vinales will miss a third MotoGP event in a row at Misano, his Red Bull KTM team has confirmed.

The Spaniard, who has struggled with a left shoulder injury for over a year, stepped back from racing during the summer break after further checks diagnosed “a small tear in the infraspinatus”.

“I don't know how long it's going to take, but I will put everything as always into this recovery,” added Vinales, who has finished outside the top ten this season and looks set to lose his MotoGP seat to Senna Agius for 2027.

KTM test rider Pol Espargaro will therefore return for a third event alongside Enea Bastianini.

“While our priority remains supporting Maverick in his recovery, we are pleased to have Pol with us again in Misano,” said Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon.

“He knows the team extremely well and has already shown his professionalism and commitment during his last two appearances this season.

“Returning to MotoGP is never easy, but Pol brings valuable experience, and we are looking forward to working with him again in San Marino.

“We wish Maverick continued progress in his recovery and hope to see him back when he is ready."

Espargaro scored points in his first MotoGP race of the season at Silverstone, then finished 16th at Aragon last Sunday despite reducing his deficit to the race winner.

“Still, I miss a lot of speed. It's just my second race and when the tyres get used, I suffer a lot,” Espargaro said.

“But anyway, I feel that I'm getting faster and let's see what happens in Misano, if we get Maverick back.

“If not, I haven't raced here since 2022, but I'm used to doing testing at Misano, so we'll see.”

After Misano, Espargaro is set to switch back to KTM’s 850cc/Pirelli prototype for a private test at Mugello.

Then, depending on Vinales’ fitness, he could return to the current 1000cc bike at the Austrian Grand Prix, which will be followed by an official 850cc test on Monday.