Maverick Vinales “50/50” for Red Bull Ring MotoGP return, says KTM

Maverick Vinales has only a “50/50” chance of returning to MotoGP at the Red Bull Ring next weekend, according to KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer.

The Tech3 rider stepped back from racing once again due to ongoing issues with the shoulder he initially injured at Sachsenring last July.

“It’s still very doubtful,” Beirer said of seeing Vinales back in Austria.

“We move the doctor's date from week to week, because now we all decided it's not up to us with our thinking when he is fit, to really get the green light.

“But I hope this Monday he will have another checkup, and the target is to be in Spielberg.

“But it's absolutely not confirmed, and also my own feeling is this is still 50/50.”

During the summer break, Vinales was diagnosed with “a small tear in the infraspinatus”, which has left him lacking the strength needed to muscle the RC16 from side to side.

Beirer added: “The outside rotation is missing a lot of power compared to the other arm. And we were always wondering why change of direction is so difficult, or he's losing all the time in this moment.

“When he's in the corners, everything looks fine, the data looks fine, [but] change of direction, when you need to pull the beast over from left to right, that's what his real problem is.

“So he can sit [in the correct position] and ride, but MotoGP is more than sit and ride. So I think in Spielberg, we are close, and then [we’ll see if it’s] yes or no - I really hope we have him back then.

“We have his Italian doctor who made the surgery, both physios and us, and then we talk as a group if it makes sense or not.”

Should Vinales, who is set to leave KTM and MotoGP at the end of this season, not be cleared to return, test rider Pol Espargaro will continue as his replacement for the final European round before the flyaway events.

HRC's Luca Marini is already confirmed as moving to Tech3, with rookie Senna Agius expected to complete the 2027 grid as his team-mate.