Maverick Vinales has returned to Barcelona after his shoulder injury – despite the pain, he is showing fighting spirit and already has his sights set on Misano.
After his serious shoulder injury at the Sachsenring and a failed comeback attempt in Spielberg, Maverick Vinales returned to the track last weekend in Barcelona. The Spaniard showed his fighting spirit, but also remained realistic about his current form.
After the first day of practice, Vinales was already aware that he was still in a difficult situation physically. “Yesterday afternoon, when I was riding, it wasn’t bad,” he reported on Saturday after the sprint race.
“But when I was pushing for lap times, I felt pain. So I stopped. I couldn’t push any harder. That’s when I said, ‘Okay, that’s enough, I’m stopping.’” Initial doubts arose as to whether he would be able to complete a full race distance.
Injury initially underestimated
But Vinales emphasized: “As long as I have enough strength to stay on the bike, it’s okay.” The biggest problem, he said, was the slow build-up of muscle mass.
“I have no mobility, I can’t lift weights, so I can’t build muscle. The only way to gain strength is to get on the bike,“ explained the Spaniard, admitting that he had initially underestimated the crash at the Sachsenring, in which he injured his left shoulder.
”I didn’t expect it to be so serious. After the operation, the doctors told me that I would have to take a year off from another sport. They advised me to stay calm, think about the future, and not the moment. That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
The fact that KTM and Tech3 have made significant progress in recent Grands Prix helps him stay positive. Vinales, who had some highlights before his injury, has played his part in the upward trend.
“It makes me happy that we’ve done a good job. When the bosses came to me and thanked me for staying so positive and taking on the role of leader when no one else wanted to – that makes you feel good.” This recognition encouraged him to keep going.
Progress on race Sunday
Vinales finally got through Sunday’s race. After finishing 17th in the sprint, he managed to score two World Championship points by coming in 13th. His conclusion: “It wasn’t bad. I’m glad I rode the whole weekend. It was important to rack up the miles and understand how it feels day by day.”
Although he felt pain after the race, it was more bearable than he had expected. “Of course, I still have limitations, but overall it was a good sign. We’ll keep going, we’ll go to Misano, we’ll try again and we want to come back stronger,” said Vinales.
During the race in Barcelona, the pain was mostly manageable—until a scary moment when VR46 rider Fabio Di Giannantonio crashed in front of him.
“I had to quickly upright my bike. That caused a sharp pain that lasted for two or three laps. After that, it got better again.” However, the biggest problem remained the start-finish straight: “It’s a nightmare because I can’t really disappear behind the fairing. I’m basically holding the bike with one hand.”
For the period leading up to the San Marino Grand Prix, the Tech3 rider is relying on a combination of rest and targeted strength training: “I want to see if I can lift weights again in a few days. Then recovery will be easier.”
“The main problem is changing direction, I lack the strength. It’s difficult to get into the fairing on the straight. The rest wasn’t too bad.”
