Maverick Vinales surgery: “Different pain, screw coming out”, "no options" for MotoGP 2027

Maverick Vinales will undergo surgery on Tuesday after withdrawing from the remainder of the US MotoGP weekend due to complications with the left shoulder he injured in Germany last July.

The Tech3 KTM rider revealed that a screw inserted after the accident has come loose and needs to be removed.

“I experienced a different type of pain after Brazil,” Vinales told MotoGP.com. “So I did a CT scan here, and we realised that one screw is coming out of place.

“It's touching some tissue and is stopping the power from my arm. So I need to remove it.

“That's the only thing I can do. On Tuesday, I will have the operation, remove the screw.”

He added: “The doctors at the track told me that if I crash and I impact there, I can make a big damage. So there were no sense to keep going.”

The postponement of Qatar MotoGP means Vinales should then be fit for the next round at Jerez on 24-26 April.

“They say it's not a major operation, just removing the screw and letting the tissue heal. Two weeks and then start training hard,” he said.

“But I prefer to be more conservative, so I will come back when I feel 100%, and I can ride at my level. Otherwise, there is no point.”

“Until I am 100%, I have no options"

The former Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia race winner added that he will not consider his 2027 future until he is fully fit.

“Until I am 100%, I have no options. Because I don't want to race if I am not 100%. I don't want to be here just to go around. I want to be here to win,” he said.

“I need to be fully fit, not 80%, otherwise there is no meaning for me.”

Meanwhile, KTM’s Pedro Acosta and Tech3's Enea Bastianini both secured direct Qualifying 2 places with top-ten finishes in Friday practice.