Maverick Viñales will return for this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi after a three-month injury absence, with Tech3 KTM confirming that the Spaniard has received medical clearance to travel to Japan and race.
The event is the 16th round of the 2026 MotoGP season and would be Viñales’ first competitive appearance since the German Grand Prix on 12 July, according to Autosport MotoGP. The 10-time grand prix winner has been sidelined by complications connected with his shoulder injury.
Viñales said he was pleased to be returning after a lengthy recovery process, but stressed that he was not yet fully fit. He said his immediate aim at Motegi was to build his workload gradually, assess his physical condition and regain his feeling on the KTM RC16.
A measured return after shoulder problems
Tech3 KTM said its priority had been to support Viñales’ rehabilitation and avoid bringing him back before he was ready. Team manager Nicolas Goyon said the recovery had taken longer than initially expected, while adding that the team would give the rider time across the Japanese weekend to recover his rhythm step by step.
Autosport MotoGP reported that Viñales had already ridden the KTM RC16 during last week’s Pirelli test at the Red Bull Ring as preparation for the expected return. He completed several laps at the test, and his own comments set out a gradual approach to the Motegi weekend: checking his condition and regaining familiarity with the RC16.
His absence followed a difficult sequence of shoulder-related setbacks. Autosport MotoGP reported that he initially broke his shoulder in qualifying at the Sachsenring in 2025, then missed races after surgery. It said a later corrective operation removed a loose screw, allowing him to race again in Barcelona after missing three rounds, before another lay-off following the summer break.
Autosport MotoGP reported that Viñales failed to show speed on his initial Barcelona comeback. He then missed the last four rounds while preparing for what the report described as a more definitive comeback. The Japanese Grand Prix consequently gives him his first race opportunity after that period away, but with his fitness still short of full strength.
The Race MotoGP also reported that muscle damage had recently restricted rotation in Viñales’ left arm. Its account said the rider’s repeated absences since the original injury had involved returns before he was fully ready as well as subsequent complications.
Motegi gives Tech3 its full line-up
Goyon said Tech3 was looking forward to having its complete rider line-up back together in Japan. Viñales said he would build up step by step at Motegi, assess where he is physically and get his feeling back on the KTM RC16. Goyon said the team would support that gradual return throughout the weekend.
The race is another stage in a recovery that has already included an initial operation, a corrective procedure and multiple spells away from the grid. The team said its full rider line-up would be back together in Japan.
There is also a wider contractual backdrop. Autosport MotoGP reported that Viñales is seeking to finish his two-year Tech3 agreement strongly. The Race MotoGP reported that KTM had moved away from an earlier plan to promote him to its factory team for 2027 and that a future MotoGP place was uncertain. Autosport reported that he hopes to end his two-year agreement strongly. The Race described his 2027 MotoGP place as uncertain, although that question is separate from the medical clearance and the planned return at Motegi.
He has received medical clearance to race and completed several preparatory laps in the Red Bull Ring test. Viñales has also said he is not yet fully fit; his first competitive outing since July will show how he copes with a Grand Prix weekend after that lay-off.