Maverick Viñales went from a legendary performance to heartbreak at the Qatar Grand Prix, where he finished second—only to receive a post-race penalty for low tyre pressure.

Viñales had fans on the edge of their seats with his performance, as he charged from 6th on the grid to even leading the race. For a moment, it looked like Viñales might deliver KTM’s first podium of the season.

But the celebrations didn’t last long. Soon after the finish, MotoGP officials launched an investigation into Viñales’ tyre data. It turned out his rear tyre had been below the minimum pressure limit for more than 60% of the race, which is a strict violation of the rules.

As a result, Viñales was handed a 16-second penalty, which is the standard punishment for this kind of infraction. That dropped him down to 14th place—a heartbreaking outcome after such an incredible performance. Franco Morbidelli, who led early in the race, was promoted to third place, completing the podium.

It's likely that the unexpected time Viñales spent at the front of the pack played a crucial role. Tyre pressures are set before the race based on expected race conditions. The Tech3 team probably expected Viñales to spend most of the race in the slipstream of other riders, where less air hits the tyres directly, causing lower heat and pressure. But when he took the lead and had clean air hitting the tyre, the pressure didn’t rise enough to meet the minimum.

While riders can receive a dashboard warning during the race if pressure drops too low, Viñales admitted he was focused entirely on his ride and didn’t notice. Before the penalty was even confirmed, he told reporters:

“I was just looking forward. I didn’t have time… I don’t care what happens [with the penalty], because we did second place.”
— Maverick Viñales, post-race interview via MotoGP.com

Still, his performance in Qatar was a reminder of his talent and potential. And if the team can avoid mistakes like this in the future, we could be seeing more podiums from Viñales very soon.