Viñales, who had to withdraw from the USA Grand Prix in COTA after a screw came loose in his shoulder, will also miss this week's Spanish Grand Prix as he continues to recover.

The injury troubles, which largely derailed a promising first season with the KTM satellite team, first started for Viñales at the German Grand Prix last year and forced him to withdraw from several rounds of the championship.

Following that, another fall at the pre-season Sepang test this year appeared to reignite the issue. A disappointing P16 in Thailand and P18 in Brazil was the best 'Mav' could manage, but he decided to withdraw from COTA due to severe discomfort.

It then emerged that the cause of his withdrawal was a loose screw from the previous operation last, and with that screw now removed entirely, Viñales can begin the recovery process.

Last season, the former Yamaha and Aprilia man failed to finish inside the top 10 on all but three occasions on Sunday races, and picked up the majority of his points during sprint races. He would have had a podium in Qatar, but was disqualified due to a tyre pressure infringement after the race had concluded.

In addition to his physical struggles, Viñales has also come under fire for his decision to appoint three-time MotoGP World Champion Jorge Lorenzo as his personal riding coach - a move which many believe favours Lorenzo more than it does Maverick.

However, things are not all looking bad for the number 12, rumours suggest that he could be due for a factory KTM promotion next year alongside current Gresini rider Alex Marquez.

Check out the full weekend schedule here.