Maverick Viñales, no German GP: dislocation and shoulder fracture

Maverick Viñales will miss the German Grand Prix, scheduled for Sunday afternoon at the Sachsenring circuit. The Catalan was involved in a disastrous fall during qualifying, causing a dislocation in his left shoulder. Certain from the outset that he would be absent from the Sprint Race, the hope was for a recovery in time for the long race. Within hours of the accident, however, came confirmation of his forfeit.

As initially confirmed by ‘Sky Sports‘, tests conducted immediately after Saturday qualifying (specifically a CT scan) had ruled out fractures. This had raised hopes that Viñales could also recover in time to race the German Grand Prix. The final decision was expected Sunday morning, with a further medical checkup before the start of the warm-up. Further investigations, carried out at the Chemnitz hospital, instead revealed a fracture in the same injured shoulder. No Sachsenring for him, therefore, and in doubt also his presence on the track in Brno.

Viñales’ crash came in the early stages of Q2, characterized by the torrential rain that fell on the already treacherous Sachsenring. The Catalan was the victim of a dangerous highside that came in turn 4 and caused him to tumble ruinously to the ground. Hence the immediate clinical checks, the discovery of dislocated shoulder and the’absence –fortunately–of more serious problems such as a fracture.

In any case, Viñales’s injury makes the German weekend even more complicated for the KTM Tech3 team, which already showed up at the Sachsenring without Enea Bastianini. The Rimini native was in fact forced to stay home stopped by an attack of appendicitis.