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Maverick Viñales has declared that his shoulder injury is firmly behind him after scoring points on his MotoGP return at the Japanese Grand Prix last weekend.
Although he is still lacking peak physical strength, the Spanish rider remains confident in his recovery. The experienced Tech3 KTM rider finished 14th in the main race at Motegi, picking up two points.
This was his first full race weekend since July, having missed four rounds to continue his rehabilitation from the shoulder injury sustained in Germany last summer. Following his extended layoff, Viñales expressed confidence that he will be able to complete the 2026 season without any major setbacks. The Spaniard stressed that the injury no longer troubles him, although regaining full strength will only come with more laps on track:
"I feel like the shoulder is completely healed. It's just a matter of building up the workload and gradually regaining my strength. In certain areas I have it, but in others I need to ride the bike, as that kind of physical demand is impossible to replicate in the gym," Viñales commented. "To be honest, I expected it to be much harder. I wasn't worried about the shoulder because I know how to manage the strain, but rather about my arms, as my forearms got really fatigued under heavy braking at this track. Overall, it was a great workout. I managed to maintain a solid pace through the middle and final stages of the race, even if I couldn't push to the absolute maximum. We are moving in the right direction, but I still need to get to know the bike better."
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