Earlier this week, ahead of the opening lap of the 2021 MotoGP season, rumors broke that Vinales’ Yamaha crew boss Esteban Garcia had tested positive for COVID-19.
Vinales confirmed that Garcia had an initial test that was reactive – meaning the result didn’t count – but tested negative on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, Garcia has to stay in quarantine until Saturday and leave Vinales on the track without a crew boss until race day.
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However, the eight-time MotoGP race winner is relaxed and confident that Garcia can support his side of the garage from his hotel on Friday and Saturday.
“No, not really,” Vinales replied to Motorsport.com as to whether the rumors of a positive COVID-19 test from his crew chief were true.
“Esteban wasn’t caught either positively or negatively, I think the real name is reactive.
“Well, it was tested yesterday, it’s negative. But he has to stay in this hotel until Saturday for COVID.
“So he’ll be 28th for race time, but we’re all connected. So that’s not a problem for us. We know that Esteban will support us in the hotel.
“At least we did a lot of laps in the test, we don’t have a lot to test. We just have to run to understand a lot of things on the track, how to go faster, how to go fast with a full tank.
“There aren’t many things to do. It’s a shame, of course, because we don’t have the whole team.
“But at least we’re very calm that it’s negative, so the rest of the team is fine too.”
The factory Yamaha squad was one of the teams that was hit by COVID-19 several times over the past year. Several members of the technical team and members of the Vinales crew missed races in the second half of the season due to the virus.
Vinales’ former teammate Maverick Vinales also missed two races in 2021 when he tested positive for COVID-19 after the French GP.
The frequency of COVID infections in the MotoGP paddock should hopefully decrease significantly in the coming races as both doses of the COVID vaccine were offered and largely absorbed by the Qatari authorities in the paddock.
LCR Honda’s Alex Marquez is also in the same situation as Vinales after his crew chief Christophe Bourguignon returned a reactive COVID test earlier this week.
“Unfortunately we have a man in quarantine because he was reactive and negative today,” Marquez told motogp.com on Thursday in Qatar.
“It’s Beefy, my crew chief, but we are in direct contact with him so it won’t be a problem.
“I just wish him that he can come to the first GP of the season. He’s so passionate that he works 24 hours in the hotel.
“So that’s not a problem, we already have all the plans on the computers. We have a computer in the box, we can communicate with it 24 hours a day.”