KTM backs “unlucky” Maverick Vinales to return and become "second leader"

KTM is confident that Maverick Vinales will be able to bounce back from his injury woes and establish himself as the “second leader” alongside Pedro Acosta.

Vinales was forced to withdraw from last month’s US Grand Prix due to severe pain, as a screw inserted in his left shoulder following his Sachsenring injury came loose.

The setback followed a difficult start to the 2026 season for the Spaniard, who failed to score points at both Buriram and Goiania even as Acosta regularly contended for the podium on the factory KTM.

Pre-season testing suggested that the Spaniard was back to full fitness, raising hopes that he would be able to replicate the form he showed in 2025 prior to his German GP crash.

KTM motorsport director Pit Beirer feels Vinales has been unlucky so far, but is confident that the team can achieve the goals it first set when it signed the 10-time grand prix winner from Aprilia.

Pit Beirer, Sporting Director of KTM

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

“It’s terrible, because you all followed the story,” Beirer said during the US GP broadcast. “He gave us such great results when the project was maybe in the most difficult period of all the years.

“Since he came back last year in Spielberg, we were just talking about his shoulder and the strength and the pain. At the Sepang test, he was totally fine; no pain, happy again and had a big smile on his face. And just weeks later, slowly he lost strength again, the movement became less, and we couldn't really explain why and what.

“It didn't make sense, because based on the MRI, the ligament was totally healed. But then we found out that suddenly his screw is starting to move and coming out of the bone.

“The boy is not lucky, and with that comes for us a frustrating time, because we want to finally prove with Maverick we can do it. And still, it looks like we need to wait for that chance.”

KTM had originally earmarked Vinales for a promotion to the factory squad alongside Alex Marquez as part of a broader reshuffle of its line-up in 2027. As such, Vinales was expected to play a key role for KTM in its post-Acosta era, with the latter widely expected to join Ducati next year.

Maverick Vinales, Red Bull KTM Tech 3

Photo by: Gold and Goose Photography / LAT Images / via Getty Images

However, following Vinales’ poor run of results in the opening flyaway races, the Austrian manufacturer is understood to have asked Vinales’ management for more time before firming up its long-term plans.

Beirer admitted that KTM cannot be satisfied with the results achieved by three of its four riders, but stressed that the team retains full faith in Vinales.

“We stick to our riders,” Beirer said. “There is still some work to do. Looks like we have Pedro now somewhere in a form that he can really fight for great positions a lot. He is on a solid base.

“But we are not where we want to be; not with Brad [Binder], not with Enea [Bastianini] and not with Maverick, so there is still some work to do.

“But yes, we believe in Maverick and we want him to come back and prove to us that he will be the right guy to be our second team leader.”