{"id":1203,"date":"2026-08-25T08:10:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/?p=1203"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:26:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T11:26:52","slug":"tech3-confirms-maverick-vinales-absence-in-aragon-and-retains-pol-espargaro-as-replacement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/tech3-confirms-maverick-vinales-absence-in-aragon-and-retains-pol-espargaro-as-replacement\/","title":{"rendered":"Tech3 confirms Vi\u00f1ales absence in Aragon and retains Pol Espargar\u00f3 as replacement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key takeaways<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Vi\u00f1ales remains sidelined:<\/strong> <strong>Maverick Vi\u00f1ales will miss the Aragon GP<\/strong> to focus on his recovery from an undiagnosed shoulder injury discovered earlier this month.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Espargar\u00f3 retained as deputy:<\/strong> Test rider <strong>Pol Espargar\u00f3 will continue to pilot the Tech3 KTM RC16<\/strong> alongside Enea Bastianini at MotorLand Aragon.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Targeting Misano return:<\/strong> Tech3 and KTM set the <strong>San Marino Grand Prix (September 11\u201313) as the new target date<\/strong> for Vi\u00f1ales&#8217; return to action.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Tech3<\/strong> confirmed on Tuesday (25) that <strong>Maverick Vi\u00f1ales<\/strong> will remain absent from <strong>MotoGP<\/strong> as he continues treatment for an ongoing shoulder injury. Consequently, the French squad led by <strong>G\u00fcnther Steiner<\/strong> announced that <strong>Pol Espargar\u00f3<\/strong> will ride the <strong>KTM RC16<\/strong> at this weekend&#8217;s <strong>Aragon Grand Prix<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Earlier in August, Tech3 revealed that after making little physical recovery progress, Vi\u00f1ales sought further medical consultations and discovered a previously undiagnosed shoulder injury. Due to this new treatment regimen, the Spaniard missed the <strong>British Grand Prix<\/strong> and will now be forced to sit out at <strong>MotorLand Aragon<\/strong> as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the team, Vi\u00f1ales continues to work closely with medical staff, <strong>KTM<\/strong>, and Tech3 to achieve full recovery. The revised target is to have the Spanish rider back on track for the <strong>San Marino and Riviera di Rimini Grand Prix<\/strong>, scheduled for <strong>September 11\u201313<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Together with Maverick and KTM, <strong>we decided that Pol will continue with us in Aragon<\/strong> so that Maverick can remain focused on his recovery,&#8221; explained <strong>Nicolas Goyon<\/strong>, Tech3 Team Manager. &#8220;<strong>Pol did a solid job for the team in Silverstone<\/strong>, and his experience puts him in a good position to do it again.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"776\" src=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-1024x776.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1020309328\" srcset=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-1024x776.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-768x582.jpg 768w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-1536x1164.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_-150x114.jpg 150w, https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/760280_Maverick-Vinales_Red-Bull-KTM_Tech3_MotoGP_RC16_Sachsenring-_GER_12-07-2026-4_11th-Rnd-MotoGP-2026-Sachsenring-_GER_.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Maverick Vi\u00f1ales remains sidelined as he recovers from a shoulder injury (Photo: KTM)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The most important thing for us is that Maverick takes all the time he needs to recover properly. We are supporting this process and <strong>remain hopeful that we can welcome him back in Misano<\/strong>,&#8221; Goyon stressed. &#8220;Until then, we will focus on Aragon and continue giving Pol and Enea [Bastianini] our full support,&#8221; he concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This injury setback comes during a turbulent campaign for Vi\u00f1ales, who risks finding himself without a seat on the MotoGP grid. The Spaniard recently criticized KTM, accusing the manufacturer of backtracking after he had already signed a contract extension, while expressing deep dissatisfaction with his current situation in the premier class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/ktm-takes-advantage-of-motogp-break-to-service-engines-after-deal-with-rivals\/\">KTM taking advantage of the MotoGP break to service its engines<\/a> and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/ktm-takes-advantage-of-motogp-break-to-service-engines-after-deal-with-rivals\/\">Jack Miller seeing his MotoGP departure nearing after 12 seasons<\/a>, the driver market continues to shift rapidly as the season progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MotoGP returns to action from <strong>August 28\u201330 for the Aragon Grand Prix<\/strong>, the 13th round of the 2026 season. <strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/\">GRANDE PR\u00caMIO<\/a><\/strong> provides complete coverage of all sessions across every class of the World Motorcycle Championship. Follow all updates on our <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/news\/\">news page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Tech3 KTM Driver Lineup: Aragon GP<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Position<\/th><th>Rider<\/th><th>Status<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Bike #23<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Enea Bastianini<\/strong><\/td><td>Regular Entry<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Bike #12<\/strong><\/td><td><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/motogp\/maverick-vinales-continues-recovery-misses-tech3-seat-at-aragon-and-targets-misano-return\/\">Maverick Vi\u00f1ales<\/a><\/td><td>Out (Injury Recovery)<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Replacement<\/strong><\/td><td><strong>Pol Espargar\u00f3<\/strong><\/td><td>Confirmed for Aragon GP<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently asked questions (FAQ)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Why is Maverick Vi\u00f1ales missing the Aragon Grand Prix?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maverick Vi\u00f1ales is sitting out the Aragon GP to undergo specialized medical treatment for an undiagnosed shoulder injury.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Who is substituting for Maverick Vi\u00f1ales at Tech3 in Aragon?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">KTM test rider <strong>Pol Espargar\u00f3<\/strong> will fill in for Vi\u00f1ales aboard the Tech3 RC16 at MotorLand Aragon, just as he did at Silverstone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>3. When is Maverick Vi\u00f1ales expected to return to MotoGP competition?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tech3 and KTM are aiming for Vi\u00f1ales to return at the <strong>San Marino Grand Prix in Misano<\/strong>, scheduled for <strong>September 11\u201313, 2026<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tech3 confirmed that Maverick Vi\u00f1ales will remain sidelined from MotoGP to treat a shoulder injury, with Pol Espargar\u00f3 stepping in aboard the RC16.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1001092684,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"42wp_featured_image_caption":"Maverick Vi\u00f1ales remains sidelined as he recovers from a shoulder injury","42wp_featured_image_credits":"Gold &amp; Goose\/ Red Bull Content Pool","42wp_featured_video":"","42wp_featured_image_hidden":false,"42wp_authors_list":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[105,274,280,281],"42wp_author":[36],"class_list":["post-1203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motogp","tag-ktm","tag-maverick-vinales","tag-pol-espargaro","tag-tech3","42wp_author-juliana-tesser"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1203"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1204,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1203\/revisions\/1204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1001092684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1203"},{"taxonomy":"42wp_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/grandepremio.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/42wp_author?post=1203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}