After suffering severe pain and missing out on the US GP, Tech3 rider Maverick Vinales underwent successful shoulder surgery – what the Spaniard is now planning
Relief for Maverick Vinales: The Tech3 KTM rider underwent successful shoulder surgery on Tuesday. A loose screw was removed from his left shoulder. The procedure went without complications.
The operation was carried out at the Hospital of Sassuolo by a team of doctors led by Giuseppe Porcellini, after Vinales had traveled directly from Texas to Italy.
Shortly after the operation, the Spaniard himself spoke and expressed his relief: “Well … that feels better already. The screw is out and the operation went well. Many thanks to Dr. Porcellini, Dr. Padolino and Dr. Giorgini for looking after me. Now it’s time to focus on recovery and get back to 100 percent. Comeback loading.”
The reason for the operation was a problem that stemmed from last year: After his crash at the Sachsenring in 2025, a screw had been inserted in Vinales’ shoulder, which had now loosened and caused severe pain.
This was also noticeable at the US Grand Prix recently. There, Vinales had to retire early after Friday’s practice session and did not even line up again.
The injury could also explain his disappointing start to the season so far. The Tech3 rider failed to score any points in the first three races of the year, despite starting his second season on the RC16 with high expectations.
While teammate Enea Bastianini has already claimed a podium and factory rider Pedro Acosta is consistently up front, Vinales has fallen short of expectations.
At the start of the season, he was still regarded as the strongest KTM rider across both teams. However, he pursued his own technical approach in the first three overseas races, including a special chassis that differed from the solutions of the other KTM riders. Even before his retirement in the USA, he had considered discarding this approach.
At first, Vinales did not want his physical problems to be a decisive factor, as he had still felt comfortable on the bike during the tests. However, in Austin he admitted that “there can only be one reason” for his lack of results – a clear reference to his shoulder injury.