In an excerpt from an interview with DAZN, which was published by the broadcaster on Friday, Vinales was quoted as saying: “Quiet, very relaxed. I don’t want to make another mistake ”.
He added: “I want to make a good decision, really go down the path that suits me best, because in the end I have had to adapt a lot over these years, especially my driving style, trying to choose the best option that suits me me so that I can fight for the world championship.
“That doesn’t mean I won’t get the chance this year. But I get frustrated that I can’t reach my potential.
“In the end, sometimes you don’t make the best decisions in life. I think a few years ago I didn’t make the best decision, so I won’t be wrong anymore. “
This led many to believe Vinales was referring to the signing of a two-year contract with Yamaha for 2021-2022 right at the beginning of 2020, following a period when Ducati was interested in their service.
However, Vinales made it clear on his Instagram feed later on Friday night that the mistakes he was referring to happened in his early Grand Prix career.
One of these was his decision to leave the Avintia Moto3 team three laps before the end of the 2012 season when he was still a title contender over a dispute over the team’s performance and their refusal to fire him at the end of the year.
Vinales joined the Calvo KTM team in 2013 and won the title. In 2014 he moved up to Moto2 with Pons, where he spent a season before signing for Suzuki in MotoGP.
Maverick Vinales, 2014 Moto2 Pons
Photo by: Motorsport Images
As part of his Instagram statement, Vinales said his move to MotoGP after just a year in Moto2 was another mistake that he referred to in his DAZN interview.
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When asked about the interview on Saturday after qualifying for the Catalan Grand Prix in sixth place, Vinales said it was “very difficult” for him to give interviews as he felt that all of his comments were “bad” “are included.
“First of all, I want to make it clear that I’ve been pretty general, it’s very difficult to do interviews, people always take it the worst possible way, they always try to get me into conflict with my people and my team,” said he.
“I just wanted to make it clear that I made a mistake in 2012 and when I made the leap to MotoGP I might have had to wait a little longer, although I recognize that signing at Suzuki was a good decision.”
Vinales said he “trusts” the Yamaha project and “does not rule out a renewal” with the Japanese brand after 2022.
The controversy comes after Vinales was criticized for his performances so far in 2021 in relation to his new teammate Fabio Quartararo, leading to a crew chief change during his Yamaha career with former Valentino Rossi man Silvano Galbusera in his corner this weekend.
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Vinales’ displeasure with how his DAZN comments were received also fits into a broader narrative in world sport about the relationship between the media and professional athletes after tennis player Naomi Osaka decided to cancel media duties at the French Open to improve her mental abilities to protect health.
Ultimately, she withdrew from the tournament earlier this week after being fined for postponing her media duties, which led Formula One World Champion Lewis Hamilton to better support young athletes in dealing with the media.