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Tech3 Fields Single Bike at Jerez After Vinales Ruled Out

The decision concentrates the team’s effort on one bike, buying Vinales time to heal for Le Mans.

Overview

  • Red Bull KTM Tech3 said Monday that Maverick Vinales is not fit for the Spanish GP at Jerez after shoulder surgery.
  • Planned stand-in Pol Espargaro is out with a hand injury picked up in the lead-up to Jerez, leaving no ready replacement.
  • The team will field one bike for Enea Bastianini, a rare step that lets crew and parts focus on a single entry.
  • Vinales withdrew from Austin with severe shoulder pain, then had a loose screw from his 2025 Sachsenring crash fixed, and he is aiming to return at Le Mans on May 10.
  • Tech3 boss Guenther Steiner said they examined other options but chose the one-bike approach as the most sensible move for the team and KTM’s wider project.