Published on 08/12/2021 5:15:00 p.m.
Yamaha has suspended Vinales for “irregular use of the motorcycle”.
In a shocking announcement, the Yamaha MotoGP factory team announced that they have suspended Maverick Vinales and withdrawn him from the Austrian GP this weekend. The reason given is “inexplicable irregular use of the motorcycle”.
- The decision for future races will be made after further analysis
- Vinales is expected to move to Aprilia next year
Yamaha MotoGP suspends Vinales
Vinales retired Styrian GP after reporting a variety of electronics issues on his YZR-M1 bike. After analyzing the data, the team now indicates that he deliberately sabotaged the bike. For this reason, Yamaha decided not only to withdraw Vinales from racing this weekend at the Red Bull Ring, but also to suspend the Spaniard.
The statement released by Yamaha states, “Yamaha’s decision follows an in-depth analysis of telemetry and data over the past few days.”
“Yamaha’s conclusion is that the rider’s actions could possibly have damaged the engine of his YZR-M1 motorcycle, which could have posed serious risks to the rider himself and possibly to all other riders in MotoGP racing.”
Vinales’ future
Yamaha has confirmed that there will be no replacement for Vinales at the Austrian GP. For future races, the team states that a decision will be made after a more detailed analysis of the situation and further discussions with Vinales.
In either case, a bitter split develops between the two parties. After the Dutch MotoGP race, Yamaha announced that it would release Vinales from his contract (which was originally due to expire at the end of 2022) at the request of the rider.
Although no concrete plans have been confirmed, he is expected to join Aprilia next year.
See also:
MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales shares his approach to racing, the YZR-M1 and more