Pol Espargaro Replaces Injured Maverick Vinales for MotoGP Austrian GP

Tech3 announced on Tuesday that Pol Espargaro will continue to replace the injured Maverick Vinales at this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix at the Red Bull Ring circuit. Vinales has not competed in a MotoGP race since 12 July, when he retired during the final stages of the German Grand Prix. The upcoming event will mark Espargaro's fourth consecutive appearance for the team this season.

Espargaro has taken on multiple roles in 2026 as KTM's official test and reserve rider. In addition to racing at Silverstone, Aragon, Misano, and now Spielberg, he is working alongside Dani Pedrosa to develop KTM's 850cc bike for 2027 and is participating in testing at Mugello on Tuesday and Wednesday. Espargaro has scored points in two of the three races he has contested so far.

Vinales' recovery has taken longer than initially anticipated, having completed only eight grands prix this year and scoring points in four of them. However, Tech3 remains hopeful that Vinales will be ready to return when the championship moves to Japan. Tech3 team manager Nicolas Goyon highlighted the value of having Espargaro for the factory's home race in Austria while reinforcing that supporting Vinales' recovery remains the team's primary focus.