MotoGP: Vinales quits Yamaha

Maverick Vinales will leave Yamaha at the end of the 2021 MotoGP season it was confirmed Monday morning, just hours following his runners-up finish in the Dutch TT at Assen.  He still has another year on his contract, but he asked for an early exit because he cannot beat his teammate Fabio Quartararo.

Vinales was considering quitting Yamaha at the end of the season and take up a ride with Aprilia for 2022.

Aprilia denied on Sunday that it had held discussions with Vinales, but was open to the idea of the nine-time MotoGP race winner joining the Italian brand in 2022.

Vinales says it was a “difficult decision” to leave Yamaha, the ’13 Moto3 world champion labelling his partnership with the organization as “significant” and insisting he feels a mutual feeling of “respect and appreciation” between him and Yamaha.

“This partnership has been very significant to me over the last five years, and it proved a difficult decision to part ways,” said Vinales in a short statement.

“In these seasons together, we experienced both great achievements and tough times. However, the underlying feeling is of mutual respect and appreciation.

“I am fully committed and will strive to achieve the best results for the rest of the season.”

Yamaha Racing Managing Director Lin Jarvis said, “It is with sadness that we will say farewell to Maverick at the end of the year.

“We are in the middle of our fifth season together and over the years we have achieved many highs but also had to manage many lows.

“After the German GP, which was the most difficult weekend of our partnership, we had important discussions in Assen and came to the conclusion that it would be in the interest of both parties to go our separate ways in the future.

“Yamaha will put in their maximum effort – as we always have done – to give full support to Maverick and finish this season in the very best way possible.”