Maverick Viñales ruled out again: Pol Espargaró takes over the KTM at Misano
Maverick Viñales will also miss the San Marino and Rimini Riviera Grand Prix, extending his absence from the MotoGP championship to a third consecutive race weekend. Red Bull KTM Tech3 confirmed on September 4 that the Spanish rider is still recovering from problems with his left shoulder and that Pol Espargaró will once again take his place on the KTM RC16. This definitively rules out the possibility of Viñales returning at Misano, which, after the previous race in Aragón, had still been one of the team's targets. Espargaró will therefore step in as a replacement for the third consecutive time following his appearances at Silverstone and MotorLand Aragón, and he will ride for Tech3 at the 14th of the 22 rounds of the 2026 season.
The San Marino Grand Prix is scheduled for September 11 to 13 at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli in Misano Adriatico, near Rimini in Italy's Emilia-Romagna region. The official MotoGP calendar confirms that immediately after Misano, the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg follows the very next weekend, from September 18 to 20. That event is now being mentioned as the next possible point for Viñales' return, although Tech3 did not set a firm date in its latest announcement. The team said that a full recovery would remain the priority and that Viñales would not return before he was ready for the demands of a MotoGP motorcycle.
Misano has become the third consecutive missed race
The decision to skip Misano continues the more cautious approach that Tech3 and KTM have been applying since the summer break. Viñales did not ride in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in early August and then also missed Aragón at the end of the same month. Ahead of the Aragón weekend, the team was still expressing hope that he could return specifically at Misano, but the latest assessment has clearly shown that he needs additional time. Tech3 did not announce a new medical diagnosis or state that a fresh injury had occurred, instead describing the absence as a continuation of rehabilitation.
Team manager Nicolas Goyon stressed in Tech3's official announcement that supporting Viñales in his recovery remains the most important priority. At the same time, he pointed out that Espargaró is the logical choice as a replacement because he knows both the team and KTM's machinery well. According to Goyon, returning to MotoGP after a period without a permanent racing programme is not straightforward, but Espargaró showed professionalism and experience in his previous two appearances, giving the team stability while it waits for its regular rider. That continuity is also important technically: the replacement rider does not have to relearn working procedures, electronics, ergonomics and the character of the RC16 from scratch, but can continue from where he left off at the previous race.
MotoGP stated in its official September 4 announcement that Viñales hopes to return to the motorcycle in Spielberg. However, Tech3's wording remains more cautious and provides no guarantee that he will compete in Austria. This is an important distinction because over the past fourteen months his rehabilitation has already gone through several phases of returning, renewed difficulties and another reduction in workload. In the premier class of motorcycle racing, medical fitness does not mean only being able to ride, but also being capable of repeatedly performing hard braking, rapid changes of direction and sustained shoulder loading throughout an entire weekend.
The shoulder problem dates back to Sachsenring 2025
The root of the current problems lies in qualifying for the German Grand Prix at Sachsenring in July 2025. MotoGP reported at the time that Viñales dislocated his left shoulder in the crash and that a subsequent examination also revealed a fracture. His shoulder was put back into place, but surgery was required because of the fracture, causing him to miss the remainder of the German weekend and the following race in Brno. An attempted return in Austria in August 2025 proved premature because the pain remained too severe, and the injury continued to limit him later in the season.
The problems carried over into 2026 as well. During the United States Grand Prix weekend in Austin at the end of March, Viñales experienced pain and a lack of strength in his left shoulder. Official MotoGP medical information stated at the time that an examination had revealed a displaced screw inserted after the 2025 surgery, prompting him to withdraw from the rest of the weekend and return to Europe for a procedure. Tech3 later confirmed that corrective surgery had been performed, after which the Spaniard missed Jerez and Le Mans.
He returned to the track in mid-May at the Catalan Grand Prix in Barcelona following intensive rehabilitation and medical clearance. Tech3 described that return as the result of a programme in which the long-term functionality of the shoulder took priority over competing again as soon as possible. Viñales finished the race in Barcelona and, following subsequent penalties for other riders, was classified 11th, which was his best result of the season at the time. However, even after returning, it was clear that the physical deficit had not completely disappeared: the rider himself spoke about the need for additional strength and more laps before he could once again ride without adaptations.
At the end of May in Mugello, Tech3 again stressed that the muscles around the operated left shoulder were still recovering. Viñales finished the physically demanding race in 17th place, and the team assessed that simply completing the full programme was an important part of the rehabilitation. In Brno in June, he showed better pace and came close to progressing directly into the second part of qualifying, but even then he openly said that he still lacked strength in certain riding directions. After the summer break, the decision was made to interrupt the racing programme once again to give his body more time to recover.
Espargaró provides Tech3 with experience and continuity
Pol Espargaró has become the most practical solution for Tech3 in this situation. The Spaniard is the 2013 Moto2 world champion, competed as a full-time MotoGP rider from 2014, and has been linked with KTM since the early phase of its factory project in the premier class. It was Espargaró who gave KTM its first MotoGP podium at Valencia in 2018, while in 2020 he achieved five podium finishes and ended the championship fifth overall. After a period with Honda, he returned to the Tech3 structure, and since 2024 he has worked as KTM's test rider.
That role means that Espargaró is not a conventional short-term replacement arriving on the RC16 without current technical knowledge. MotoGP's official profile states that after losing his permanent seat he remained involved in KTM's development programme, and during 2024 and 2025 he returned to racing several times. In 2026, a large part of his testing work is also linked to the future 850cc MotoGP project for the new technical era, meaning that switching back to the current 1000cc motorcycle requires adjustment. Espargaró highlighted precisely that difference after Silverstone, where he once again had to adapt to the character of the more powerful racing package.
Despite that, his first replacement appearance of the year was steady. At Silverstone he finished 13th after moving forward and gaining an additional position thanks to a later penalty for Fabio Quartararo. In Aragón he was then 16th, outside the points, but continued to gather data and rebuild his feel for the current RC16 throughout the weekend. After the race at MotorLand, Tech3 assessed that he had reduced part of the gap to the other KTM riders, although Espargaró himself admitted that he still lacked speed and automatic reactions when the tyres wear, the fuel tank is full and the motorcycle is ridden in turbulent air behind rivals.
For Misano, those two consecutive weekends should make his task easier. Unlike at Silverstone, where he was returning to the current motorcycle after a longer break, he now enters his third Grand Prix in a row with immediate racing experience. That gives Tech3 a more realistic basis for comparing settings and data, while Espargaró gets the opportunity to work on details instead of spending most of practice reacquainting himself with the motorcycle. Alongside him at Misano, the team will also have Enea Bastianini, who finished eighth in Aragón and delivered an important result for Tech3 ahead of the Italian weekend.
KTM arrives at Misano after an encouraging Aragón weekend
The broader context for KTM is more favourable than Viñales' absence might suggest. In the most recent race in Aragón, factory-team rider Pedro Acosta finished second, just 1.754 seconds behind winner Marc Márquez. KTM's official post-race report described that result as one of the brand's strongest performances in the latter part of the season, while Bastianini's eighth place additionally showed that the RC16 can be competitive in different areas of the standings. Brad Binder finished tenth and Espargaró 16th, giving KTM a broad range of data from four motorcycles.
That is also important for Espargaró because his task at Misano will not simply be to fill an empty seat. As a test rider, he can connect racing information with KTM's development work, something particularly valuable in a season in which manufacturers are simultaneously contesting the current championship and preparing for the major technical change of 2027. However, Tech3's immediate objective remains sporting: to find settings that will allow Espargaró to move closer to the points and Bastianini to continue his run of more competitive results.
According to KTM's data after the Aragón weekend, Viñales was 22nd overall with only 10 points, while Espargaró had three points from his replacement appearances. Those figures reflect how strongly the injury has affected Viñales' season and how little continuity he has had to develop his form on the RC16. Under such circumstances, returning merely to maintain a presence on the starting grid would offer limited sporting benefit if the shoulder still cannot withstand full intensity. That is why Tech3's latest decision also fits into a strategy in which the return date depends on functional recovery rather than solely on the calendar.
Misano presents a specific physical and technical challenge
Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is one of the best-known European rounds of the MotoGP championship. Official championship data list the circuit as 4.23 kilometres long, 12 metres wide and with a longest straight of 530 metres. The layout features ten right-hand and six left-hand corners, while the MotoGP race is scheduled for 27 laps, or slightly more than 114 kilometres. The circuit is ridden clockwise and returned to the world championship calendar as a regular venue of the modern era in 2007.
Such a layout demands precision during successive changes of direction and strong control of the motorcycle under braking and on corner exits. That is precisely why the decision to delay Viñales' return has additional logic: although medical clearance may confirm that there is no immediate obstacle to riding, a race weekend requires dozens of fast laps through practice, qualifying, the Sprint and the main race. For a rider still recovering from a complex shoulder injury, not only maximum strength but also endurance, joint stability and the ability to repeat movements without a gradual loss of control are important.
Espargaró, on the other hand, comes to Misano at a circuit where he already has significant MotoGP experience. During his career he took a podium there with Honda in 2021, while he now competes in a completely different role: as an experienced development rider temporarily filling the seat of an injured colleague. His result will therefore not be the only measure of the weekend's value. For KTM and Tech3, technical data, comparison with Bastianini and the factory riders, and confirmation that Espargaró is moving closer to full racing rhythm with each appearance will also be important.
For Viñales, however, the key race will remain the one against time and his own physical readiness. Official information from September 5 confirms only that he will not race at Misano and that rehabilitation is continuing; no definitive return date or detailed new medical report has been announced. If recovery proceeds according to plan, Spielberg could be the next opportunity, but the gap between the two Grand Prix weekends is only a few days. After a series of interruptions, procedures and attempted returns, Tech3 is now clearly prioritising the return of its regular rider only when his shoulder can withstand the full MotoGP programme.
Sources:
- Red Bull KTM Tech3 – official confirmation that Viñales will miss Misano and that Pol Espargaró will replace him again (link)
- MotoGP – official announcement about Espargaró replacing Viñales at Misano and Viñales' possible return in Spielberg (link)
- MotoGP – medical context of the left-shoulder problem and the procedure following his withdrawal from the 2026 United States Grand Prix (link)
- MotoGP – confirmation of the injury, dislocation and fracture of the left shoulder after Sachsenring 2025 (link)
- Red Bull KTM Tech3 – information on Viñales' return in Catalonia and the continuation of his physical recovery during 2026 (link)
- Red Bull KTM Tech3 – results and comments from Viñales' return in Barcelona and the physical context after surgery (link)
- Red Bull KTM Tech3 – Espargaró's results and the technical context of his replacement appearances at Silverstone and Aragón (link)
- KTM – official Aragón Grand Prix results and the MotoGP standings after the 13th race of the season (link)
- MotoGP – official 2026 season calendar and technical data for the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli (link)