Yamaha announced on the Monday after the Dutch TT in Assen in June that they would part with the nine-time MotoGP race winner – at the request of Vinales – at the end of this season, a year earlier than his current contract was due.
Vinales joined Yamaha from Suzuki in 2017 and has had a fragmented tenure with the Japanese brand.
The relationship between Yamaha and Vinales bottomed out last week when the manufacturer suspended him and withdrew from the Austrian GP for trying to blow up his engine during the Styrian GP.
Vinales later apologized for this, blaming the frustration of his situation during the race and at Yamaha in general for his actions.
It is still unclear whether Vinales will ride with Yamaha again in 2021.
Reports during the Dutch TT weekend linked Vinales with a move to Aprilia, though both he and the Italian brand denied it at the time.
However, Aprilia has confirmed Vinales’ appointment for a one-year contract with an option to renew. The nine-time MotoGP race winner will replace rookie Lorenzo Savadori next year.
“We are very excited to announce that we have signed Maverick Vinales, a very high profile driver and one of the purest talent in the premier class,” said Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing.
“Our project has now been enriched with the value that Maverick – a world champion who has confirmed his talent as a top rider in MotoGP – at a time of great changes, after he brought a completely redesigned motorcycle onto the track and consistently established himself , brings along in the group of protagonists, we are now also facing a status change as a factory team in order to lead Aprilia to success.
“We are honored to be able to provide Vinales with all of our best skills, enthusiasm and passion. I am confident that, like Aleix, he will take on this project with extremely high potential.
“The arrival of Maverick in no way removes Lorenzo Savadori from the team as he will remain an integral part of the Aprilia Racing family.”
Vinales will join Aleix Espargaro next year, with the pair being teammates at Suzuki for the first two seasons of their MotoGP return in 2015 and 2016.
The Spaniard’s move to secure the second RS-GP puts an end to hopes that Andrea Dovizioso will join the brand in 2022.
Dovizioso became Aprilia’s test rider in 2021 after turning down a race for that season in late 2020, prompting him to take a sabbatical with a view to a full-time return to MotoGP in 2022.
All doors to the MotoGP field in 2022 appear to be closed for Dovizioso.
Franco Morbidelli will step up from Petronas SRT to take Vinales’ place on the Yamaha factory team.
Since title sponsor Petronas ends its collaboration with SRT at the end of 2021, the options for SRT are also slim, as his Moto3 rider Darryn Binder will make the leap into MotoGP with the outfit, while Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge have also done the same with relocations was connected.
It is believed that SRT’s contract with Yamaha has also been renegotiated so that there will only be Yamahas of the ‘B specification’ in 2022.
Valentino Rossi’s protégé Marco Bezzecchi was also linked to an SRT seat but is expected to move up to MotoGP next year on the VR46 Ducati, while SRT’s first option Raul Fernandez has signed a two-year deal with KTM and Tech3.