MotoGP: Maverick Vinales officially confirmed at Aprilia
Maverick Vinales will race for Aprilia for the 2022 MotoGP season.
Maverick Vinales will race for the Aprilia MotoGP team for 2022 it has been announced following his split from Yamaha.
It has been a season of chaos for Maverick Vinales with plenty of drama which has been boiling for a long time, becoming apparent in Sachsenring after Vinales finished in last place branding it the ‘worst race of his career,’ he then followed this up with a pole position and the angriest looking second place you’ve ever seen at Assen with Vinales clearly angry and downbeat throughout parc ferme and the podium ceremony, distancing himself from Yamaha. The following day Yamaha would confirm a split between the rider and manufacturer at the end of 2021 with both parties agreeing not to honour the second year of his contract.
The situation boiled over at the Styrian Grand Prix when an incredibly angry Maverick Vinales purposely overrevved his Yamaha hitting the rev limiter in every gear for around 5 laps, holding it there for prolonged periods of time in an attempt to blow his engine up, this would result in his suspension from the Austrian Grand Prix with the Spaniard apologising to Yamaha during the weekend.
It is unknown if he will race again this year with Yamaha Japan yet to comment, but it’s believed his termination from now is ‘imminent’ and we may have already seen his last Yamaha race, thankfully for the rider he has secured a ride to race for Aprilia in 2022, linking up with his ex-Suzuki teammate Aleix Espargaro in a pairing which will be incredibly fruitful for both parties given their strong friendship and relationship outside of racing.
Vinales is one of the most naturally talented riders we’ve seen in a long time in MotoGP, Aprilia may be the place we finally get to see what he’s made of and hand them their first podium and victory, relieving him from the pressures and stress he is under at Yamaha.
Massimo Rivola – Aprilia Racing: “We are extremely happy to announce that we have signed Maverick Viñales, a very high-level rider and one of the purest talents in the premier category. Our project has now been enriched with the value that Maverick brings – a World Champion who has confirmed his talent as a top rider in MotoGP – at a time of great change, after bringing a completely revamped bike to the track and having consistently established ourselves in the group of protagonists, we are also facing a switch in status as a Factory Team now, in order to take Aprilia to success.
“We are honoured to be able to make all of our best skills available to Viñales along with our enthusiasm and our passion. I am confident that, like Aleix, he will embrace this extremely high-potential project. The arrival of Maverick in no way distances Lorenzo Savadori from the team, as he will remain an integral part of the Aprilia Racing family.”
