Maverick Vinales admits he “feels like it will be a nightmare when I get to the races” as rumors of a Yamaha MotoGP exit continue to gain momentum.
The Yamaha rider is reportedly on the verge of a shock exit from Yamaha at the end of the season, despite having a contract for 2022 and joining Aprilia next year.
Vinales destroyed the Aprilia links on Sunday after finishing 2.7 seconds behind victorious teammate Fabio Quartararo in the Dutch TT, but admitted leaving Yamaha was “an option”.
The relationship between Yamaha and Vinales is at rock bottom after a largely difficult 2021 season, but the Spaniard’s performance issues and lack of consistency on the M1 date back to his first season with the brand in 2017.
In Germany last weekend he had his worst MotoGP weekend ever, he qualified 21st and finished last – but he was on pole at Assen and in the race on a motorcycle that he thought was completely identical.
Vinales says he feels that his problems with the bike are always the same and that no solutions have been offered that allow him to “get the most out of himself”.
Despite discarding the Aprilia links, Motorsport.com asked if he saw any benefit given what happened to Johann Zarco when he left halfway through a two-year deal in 2019, and replied: … it’s difficult to get from to benefit from such a situation.
“I just get in trouble. Somehow I feel like it will be a nightmare when I get to races because I’ve had the same comments for about three years.
“So you can take the notes and they’ll be exactly the same comments three years in a row.
“Well, I just want to get the most out of it [from myself], I just want to come to the races to really race and give everything I have.
“And right now it’s difficult. When I come to a race, I just say, ‘What problems will I have with this race?’
“This is a problem, so I just want to come here and give my maximum and see where we are.
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“As you said, Zarco did that [quit KTM] but I don’t follow a rider. I will just follow my feelings.
“At the Sachsenring I definitely wanted to go home on Friday because it was a desperate weekend and I explained everything well, but we couldn’t improve.
“Thank goodness I had grip here, the track is good, the track has more or less adapted to the bike.”
Vinales’ current Yamaha deal was signed in early 2020 and the Spaniard admitted he was surprised that he was offered a new deal given his previous accomplishments.
This new deal came at a time when Ducati was considering signing Vinales in 2021.
“I think I have a really good relationship with Yamaha Japan,” he added. “I think they are great with the president, the guys with all of these things.
“You put a lot of enthusiasm and courage into it [into me]so I was pretty … when they signed up again in 2020 I was kind of like ‘what?’ because I couldn’t give my maximum, I tell the team that I am not giving up and I don’t know why I am unable [to give my maximum].
“And they signed me again for another two years and for where I am now I don’t see why.”