Maverick Vinales made his highly anticipated return to MotoGP action this weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix, marking his first appearance since the summer break. The Tech3 KTM rider, sidelined by a shoulder injury, faced a tough challenge as he eased back into competition at the demanding Motegi circuit.
Vinales admitted that his confidence in the bike is currently low, noting he’s still struggling to find his rhythm. In Friday’s sessions, he finished 18th in FP1 with a 1m45.515s, later improving to a 1m44.836s in Practice, but remained at the back of the pack, more than 2 seconds off the pace.
“Motegi isn’t the easiest place to make a comeback, especially with all the heavy braking zones,” Vinales told the media. “But I have to start somewhere. Right now, it’s about focusing on the process and gradually improving the bike.”
The Spaniard explained that he’s currently out of sync with his machine, making it difficult to extract the performance needed. However, he remains optimistic, especially with the positive data coming from teammates Pedro Acosta and Enea Bastianini.
“I don’t have a natural flow with the bike yet, so my confidence is low. The goal for this weekend is simply to finish the race and slowly rebuild my connection with the bike.”
Physically, Vinales was pleasantly surprised by his own condition, especially regarding his forearms, and described the experience as “not so bad,” even at a physically demanding track like Motegi.
Vinales also noted that while the KTM is turning better than he remembers, he’s still adapting his riding style—entering corners too fast and struggling to stop the bike efficiently.
“It’s about doing more laps, fine-tuning the set-up, and listening to the team’s feedback. I need to adapt to the bike, but it also needs to adapt to me. The bike is capable—Pedro and Enea have shown that. I just need time and more laps to find the right balance.”
Despite the initial hurdles, Vinales remains focused on the long game, determined to regain his confidence step by step as he works his way back to peak form in MotoGP.
