Vinales had scrubbed two laps in Portugal in the latter part of the second quarter which enabled him to fight for the front row.
These laps were canceled because he was believed to have exceeded track restrictions, although footage of his violations on both occasions shows it was marginal.
For 2021, pressure sensors have been placed on the green asphalt drainage areas next to the curbs, with any part of a bike that goes beyond the painted curb will be considered a violation of route restrictions.
Due to the cancellation of his laps, Vinales was left in 12th place for the race on Sunday.
His team-mate Fabio Quartararo will start from pole after Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia also deleted his fastest lap by placing it under yellow flags.
When asked by Motorsport.com for his views on the incident, Vinales said: “To be honest, I thought it was a yellow flag and when I go into the box they tell me I touched the green and I say, it’s impossible that I touched the green because I didn’t touch ‘.
“I know when I’m touching the green and I haven’t touched the green.
“Anyway, in the end this is the rule, it’s an opinion, you can’t say anything, you can’t appeal.
“I checked to see if I couldn’t understand because most of the tire was inside and you couldn’t understand whether the tire was touching the green. It is impossible to understand, but these are the rules, there is nothing we can do.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I was the first and this way I have to be P12 so it’s a person’s judgment and it’s what it is. We have known the stewards for many years and that’s how it is.
“We have to focus on tomorrow, Yamaha put a lot of pressure on because they agree with me that it is not clear that I touched the green.
“When it’s clear, that’s what it is, and that’s it. But it’s not clear. Maybe they can give me five more positions than just canceling the lap.
“But it is like that, there is nothing you can do.”
Despite his frustration with the cancellation of the lap, Vinales was delighted that his day had taken a step forward in his Yamaha setup starting Friday, adding, “Finally, the feeling we have improved a lot.
“I made P1 or P2 [without the lap cancellation]So we can’t say more, because today was a good day. “