Viñales, what a mess with this shoulder... Espargaró to race the Silverstone GP

Maverick Viñales will be replaced by Pol Espargaró at Silverstone: the shoulder injured at the Sachsenring in 2025 is still not right; in fact, the issues persist..

When it rains, it pours... After undergoing surgery at the start of this year, Maverick Viñales has continued to work closely with specialist doctors, Tech3, and KTM on his rehabilitation program. In the meantime, we’re aware of the spat with the Austrian manufacturer, with the Spaniard repeatedly declaring his future farewell to MotoGP, and the rumors, immediately denied, of a potential early retirement from MotoGP after the aforementioned verbal sparks. But there’s a far more serious issue: the physical one. After further consultations during the summer break and a recent visit to the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre (APC), Viñales will not compete in the Silverstone GP to focus on his recovery, and in his place, here comes Pol Espargaró again.

"During the summer break, we continued trying to understand why I couldn’t regain strength in the external rotation of my left arm, while internal rotation had shown a significant improvement in recent months," explained Maverick Viñales. "Further medical exams revealed that, although my supraspinatus is fully healed, I also have a small lesion in the infraspinatus that we only discovered last week. We’re now working on the best recovery plan. It’s not good news, given that the second part of the season is starting right now. I don’t know how long it will take, but as always I’ll give my all to recover."

Another blow for Tech3 and KTM, as well as for the rider himself. “Obviously this is not the news we wanted to announce after the summer break,” admitted Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon. “Pol has been part of the Tech3 family for a long time and is certainly the right replacement in these circumstances. We wish Maverick a speedy recovery and hope to see him back on the bike at the next race in Aragon.”

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