MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales spoke up for the first time after the suspension for the Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg and showed his understanding. “I apologize to Yamaha, I was wrong,” said the Spaniard on Saturday at Sky Italia. The Yamaha works team had sidelined the former motorcycle world champion on Thursday, because he had “irregularly operated” his machine in the first race at the Red Bull Ring last Sunday.
Yamaha is convinced that the 26-year-old tried to deliberately destroy the engine by turning the throttle several times until the rev limiter hit. “I am very sad,” said Vinales. How it will go on and whether Vinales will compete again for the Yamaha team is open. The former Moto3 champion announced in June that he would be leaving the team at the end of the season a year before his contract expired. He gave a lack of support and disrespect as the reasons for the decision. A premature separation is conceivable.