Yamaha’s arguments for suspending Maverick Vinales from the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix are so grave that it’s hard to see him again as a representative of the Japanese brand.
Yamaha justified its drastic decision after it had confirmed via telemetry that the Spaniard had deliberately malfunctioned his M1 at the Styrian GP last Sunday – a circumstance that would not only have damaged the propulsion of the motorcycle, but also its safety and his Can endanger competitors.
The data shows that for the last four laps of the race, Vinales lost five seconds slower than his average lap time on lap 24, then lost six seconds on lap 25, five seconds on lap 26 and 12 seconds on lap 27 before going into the garage without crossing the checkered flag. This information is perfectly complemented by the progress of the last lap displayed on motogp.com.
“The lock is the result of an in-depth analysis of data and telemetry that has been carried out over the past few days,” Yamaha said in a statement on Thursday. “Decisions regarding the drivers who will take part in the next laps will be made after a thorough examination of the situation.”
With this statement, Yamaha has indirectly opened the door to the possibility of not having the rider back. Immediately after racing at Assen, the last stop on the calendar before MotoGP’s summer break, Vinales said he had canceled his second year contract with Yamaha (2022) while waiting for Aprilia to confirm his commitment for the next season .
As fate would have it, this episode took place at the Red Bull Ring, a place where Yamaha’s top MotoGP project manager Kouji Tsuda publicly apologized to Vinales and his then teammate Valentino Rossi for the poor performance of their bikes in 2018. For the Japanese company, Vinales’ stance is absolutely unbearable because it is a frontal assault on its honor.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Paddock sources interviewed by Autosport, including several drivers, confirm that Vinales did indeed drive erratically over the last few laps and accelerated senselessly. He drove with the clutch engaged and the engine stopped, these witnesses agree.
Autosport understands that over the weekend, Vinales noticed that the engine of one of its M1s was not working properly and reported this to the technicians who nevertheless decided not to replace it. At the beginning of the introductory lap of the second race – the first was neutralized by the accident between Dani Pedrosa and Lorenzo Savadori on lap three – the Spaniard’s motorcycle stopped and forced him to start out of the pit lane.
“After that, it’s hard to imagine that Maverick will ever get on a Yamaha again,” a source at the Iwata-based manufacturer’s workshop told the author.
“It’s a shame because he’s a good guy, but he didn’t surround himself with the right people,” added a Vinales expert who has so far refused to defend himself against the allegations he has faced.
For the Japanese company, Vinales’ stance is absolutely unbearable because it is a frontal assault on its honor
“I don’t see how he can do it again,” said this authoritarian voice, referring to the avoidance of the then 17-year-old during the 2012 Malaysian Grand Prix when he unilaterally decided to go home to himself forcing the way out of the Bluesens Avintia structure while still battling for this year’s Moto3 crown.
For a long time Vinales has been in a spiral of changes that did not lead him to the desired stability. He has moved three times in the past few years, through Andorra and Qatar, before finally returning to his hometown of Roses, where he became a father for the first time a few months ago.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
At the same time as the start of the 2020 World Cup, he changed agents: by mutual agreement, he separated from Paco Sanchez and joined Giovanni Balestra, a manager of Oakley, one of the sponsors of Yamaha and other teams and riders in the paddock. The Italian’s first deal resulted in Vinales ending his Yamaha binding a year early and the second is expected to end with him at Aprilia in 2022.
Before that, Balestra probably has the hottest potato on the table that he has ever had to process in his life; to agree with Yamaha on the most advantageous exit possible for his customer – which is not easy with all the elements that play against him – and at the same time to try to collect the almost eight million euros that he would have earned by 2021.
At the moment Vinales is silent. His only step was to post a picture on his Instagram account showing him after the first free practice of the Austrian GP and promising to publish his version as soon as possible.
Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images