VINALES SAYS HE WAS AT HIS LIMIT AFTER LAST PLACE IN INDONESIA

Maverick Viñales described a punishing Indonesian Grand Prix weekend after finishing 17th, last among the classified riders. A post-race penalty for low tyre pressure did not change his position: even before the sanction, he was more than 21 seconds behind Honda rookie Diogo Moreira and nearly 34 seconds adrift of the next KTM, Brad Binder, in 11th.

The Mandalika race was Viñales’ second event since returning from several months away for further treatment on his injured shoulder. His 14th place at Motegi had offered a better result; in Indonesia he was 18th in the Sprint and 17th in the Grand Prix, where four riders retired and Aleix Espargaró did not start.

Tech3 said Viñales had not felt physically at his best during morning warm-up. The Spaniard, who also struggled to find confidence in the KTM RC16, said he was already at his limit before the race began.

“It was a bad race,” he said. “Already this morning in the warm up I felt really bad and at my limit.” He explained that he tried to complete the race for the team and establish a decent rhythm midway through, but pushing was difficult. “I still don’t feel so good with the bike. It was very tough to do something good.”

Viñales said he would take several days away from training to recover and monitor how he felt. “It was a very tough weekend,” he added, saying his immediate plan was to rest before the next round.

Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon said Viñales had never become comfortable on the bike in Indonesia. The team had not found a suitable setup, he said, and the lack of confidence contributed to a disappointing result. Goyon backed the rider to return in better spirits for the Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island after a break: “There is no reason why we can’t do it.”