VIÑALES’ BIGGEST CONCERN ON MOTEGI RETURN WAS HIS FOREARMS

Maverick Viñales came away from his MotoGP comeback at Motegi encouraged, having returned to racing after missing action since July with a persistent shoulder injury. The Tech3 KTM rider qualified 19th and finished 14th, 33.995 seconds behind the winner, earning his first championship points since the Dutch Grand Prix in June.

His main concern before the race, however, was not the shoulder. After a long spell away from the bike, Viñales was more anxious about how his forearms would cope with Motegi’s repeated heavy braking. “I expected to struggle much more because this track is huge,” he said. “I was not worried about the shoulder because I know I can manage, but I was more worried about the arms, as I suffer a lot during the race, especially the forearm.”

The demanding circuit proved a useful test. Viñales said his arms became tired under braking, but he found speed as the race progressed and felt he was building towards better fitness. “I found some good speed in the middle of the race and at the end, even though I could not push at the maximum,” he said. “So yeah, we are on a good way.”

He also acknowledged that there is still work to do on the KTM. “I need to understand the bike; I’m not riding perfectly, so I need to keep improving,” he said.

Viñales expects the Indonesian Grand Prix at Mandalika to place different demands on him. Its lighter braking should make it a more manageable next step, and he said changes of direction no longer trouble him as they once did. “For me, my feeling is that the shoulder is healed,” he said, while stressing that he still needs to build strength through riding and gradually increase the load.

Although he has strength in some areas, Viñales explained that certain demands can only be addressed on the motorcycle: “I have strength, but in some areas I need to go on the bike, because this I cannot really do in the gym, it's so hard.”