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| Maverick Vinales will undergo shoulder surgery after withdrawing from US MotoGP, focusing on full recovery to race 100% fit at Jerez in April. |
Maverick Vinales will miss the remainder of the US MotoGP weekend after announcing he will undergo surgery on Tuesday. The Tech3 KTM rider is dealing with complications in his left shoulder, injured last July in Germany.
Vinales revealed that a screw inserted after the crash has come loose and needs to be removed. “I experienced a different type of pain after Brazil,” Vinales told MotoGP.com. “So I did a CT scan, and we realized one screw is coming out of place. It’s touching some tissue and stopping the power in my arm. So the only solution is to remove it.”
The Spanish rider added that track doctors warned him of a higher risk of serious injury if he continued racing in this condition.
The postponement of the Qatar MotoGP gives Vinales time to recover and he is expected to be fit for the next round in Jerez on April 24–26.
“They say it’s not a major operation, just removing the screw and letting the tissue heal. Two weeks, and I can start training hard,” Vinales said. “But I prefer to be conservative and come back only when I’m 100% fit and can ride at my level. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense.”
Regarding his 2027 future, Vinales emphasized that his priority is full recovery before making any decisions. “Until I’m 100%, I have no options. I don’t want to race if I’m not fully fit. I want to be here to win, not just to ride around,” he said.
Meanwhile, KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Tech3’s Enea Bastianini secured direct Qualifying 2 spots with top-ten finishes in Friday practice.
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