Tech3 KTM rider Maverick Vinales underwent a successful surgery on Tuesday to remove a loose screw from his shoulder.
Vinales was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s MotoGP US Grand Prix following Friday practice due to severe pain, amid an already difficult start to the 2026 season.
Speaking in Austin, he revealed that a screw inserted into his left shoulder after his Sachsenring crash in 2025 had become displaced, requiring a minor corrective procedure.
After taking an early flight from Texas, Vinales visited the Hospital of Sassuolo in Italy on Tuesday, where he was treated by a team led by doctor Giuseppe Porcellini.
The operation was successful, with the 31-year-old posting a picture of the removed screw on social media.
“Well… that already feels better,” he wrote. “The screw is out and surgery went well. Big thanks to Dr Porcellini, Dr Padolino and Dr Giorgini for taking care of me.
“Now it’s time to focus on recovery and come back at 100%. Comeback loading.”
Despite having high expectations from his second season aboard the KTM RC16, Vinales failed to score a point in the opening trio of races, even as team-mate Enea Bastianini bagged a podium and Pedro Acosta consistently finished at the front with the factory team.
His results so far in 2026 are a far cry from the form he showed in the early part of 2026, when he emerged as KTM’s top performer across its two teams.
Vinales pursued a different development direction to other KTM riders in the three flyaway races this year, including running a unique chassis. He was considering aborting that approach before injury forced him out of the US GP.
While he initially dismissed the injury as a factor, having felt comfortable on the bike during testing, he admitted in Austin that “there can be only one reason” for his lack of results.
Vinales will be aiming to return to action at the Spanish Grand Prix on 25-26 April, with the postponed Qatar round creating an extended gap in the MotoGP calendar.
