Maverick Viñales was left at the back of the Indonesian Grand Prix despite finishing 17th on the classification, a position unchanged by his post-race penalty for low tyre pressure. He was more than 21 seconds behind Diogo Moreira, while Brad Binder—11th and the next KTM rider—was almost 34 seconds ahead before the sanction was applied.

Mandalika was only Viñales’ second race weekend after several months away for further treatment to his injured shoulder. His return at Motegi had yielded 14th place, but Indonesia marked a clear step backwards. He finished 18th among 20 finishers in the Sprint, then struggled to make progress in the main race despite four retirements and Aleix Espargaró’s failure to start.

Viñales described the Grand Prix as a bad race and said he had felt physically very unwell from the morning warm-up, already at his limit. He tried to build a rhythm during the race, but the KTM RC16 still did not give him the feeling he needed. His immediate plan is to stop training for several days, rest and follow the development of his physical condition before the next round.

Tech3 confirmed that Viñales was not at his physical best in the warm-up. Team manager Nicolas Goyon said the rider never became genuinely comfortable with the motorcycle, failed to find a good set-up and could not build confidence. The team expects him to return at Phillip Island in better shape. Viñales has also been linked with a possible Ducati testing role for 2027, but that remains an unconfirmed possibility rather than a completed move.