Maverick Viñales will not be on the MotoGP grid this weekend at Silverstone. The rider from Roses has been replaced by Pol Espargaró at the Red Bull KTM Tech3 team, as confirmed by the team itself. The decision is due to the physical problems he has been experiencing since last season, when he injured his left shoulder at the 2025 German Grand Prix.
The news comes after weeks of speculation about his future, fueled by tensions with the Austrian factory. Although it was initially suggested that KTM might sideline him for contractual reasons, the official version indicates that his absence is solely due to injury. Viñales has been working with doctors and the Red Bull Athlete Performance Centre to recover, but the latest tests have revealed a new setback.
An injury that just won't heal
Viñales' problems began at Sachsenring in July 2025, when a crash resulted in a double fracture of his left shoulder. Since then, he has undergone surgery several times, most recently in March 2026 to replace a displaced screw. Although internal rotation of his arm improved, external rotation remained impaired. During the summer break, a new MRI scan revealed a small tear in his infraspinatus muscle that had gone undetected, as the rider himself explained. "I don't know how long it will take, but I'll do everything I can to recover," he stated.
Pol Espargaró, who already replaced Viñales in three races in 2025, has been chosen again. The former Moto2 rider, world champion in 2013, knows the Tech3 garage well, having made his premier class debut there in 2014. “I have mixed feelings. It’s a shame Maverick is injured, but for me it’s a great opportunity,” he said. Team principal Nicolas Goyon confirmed that “Pol is the right replacement given the circumstances” and wished Viñales a speedy recovery, hoping to see him back in Aragón.
Tension with KTM and an uncertain future
Beyond the injury, the relationship between Viñales and KTM has deteriorated in recent months. The rider publicly denounced that the factory sent him a renewal contract for 2027, which he signed, but that two weeks later they informed him it was invalid. “What can you expect after that?” he wondered in Brno. Furthermore, he learned through the press that Fabio Di Giannantonio would be taking his place on the factory team. “I need to feel valued for the project ,” he stated.
For his part, Guenther Steiner, the new CEO of Tech3, hinted that they don't want "burdens from the past," a subtle comment that also affected Brad Binder. Meanwhile, Pit Beirer, KTM's sporting director, kept a low profile and stated that the decision regarding the 2027 lineup would be made in the summer. Ultimately, Luca Marini and Senna Agius will be Tech3's riders next year, leaving Viñales without a seat in MotoGP. The Spaniard has ruled out a move to Superbikes and maintains that he will fulfill his contract until the end of the season, although the injury and the strain make his future more uncertain than ever.
With eleven Grand Prix races remaining, Viñales' priority is recovery, but time is running out. If he doesn't heal in time, he may have already contested his last race in the premier class. The combination of physical problems and disagreements with the factory has turned his time at KTM into an ordeal, and the future doesn't seem to offer him a clear way out.