In a shocking update from the world of MotoGP, the Yamaha MotoGP team has withdrawn rider Maverick Vinales from the upcoming Austrian Grand Prix this weekend. The team said that it was suspending the rider due to the "unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle" during last weekend's Styrian GP. The announcement does come as a shock for the team and rider's fans alike, while further straining the relationship between the two. Vinales and Yamaha announced their decision to part ways at the end of 2021.
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In a statement, the team announced, "Yamaha regrets to announce that Maverick Vinales' entry to this weekend's Austrian MotoGP event has been withdrawn by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. The absence follows the suspension of the rider by Yamaha due to the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle by the rider during last weekend's Styria MotoGP race."
Maverick Vinales ended last week's Styrian GP with a DNF
"Yamaha's conclusion is that the rider's actions could have potentially caused significant damage to the engine of his YZR-M1 bike which could have caused serious risks to the rider himself and possibly posed a danger to all other riders in the MotoGP race. The rider will not be replaced at the Austrian GP. Decisions regarding the future races will be taken after a more detailed analysis of the situation and further discussions between Yamaha and the rider."
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It's speculated that Vinales was deliberately trying to blow his bike's engine by over-revving it. The rider though has not issued a separate statement on the matter. Yamaha won't be replacing Vinales for the upcoming Austrian GP, which means Fabio Quartararo will be riding the sole factory bike from the team on the grid.
Speculations suggest that Vinales was over-revving his engine trying to blow it up
Vinales had a fantastic start to the year with the victory at Qatar but has struggled with consistency ever since. So far, the rider has had one other podium finish at Assen. Trouble seemed to be brewing between the rider and the team for a while now, which led to both parties deciding to prematurely end the contract, which was originally set to expire at the end of 2022. Vinales is rumoured to be moving to Aprilia next but neither party have confirmed the same.
If the allegations are true, Yamaha could end up taking stern action against the rider including an early termination. We will have to see what Yamaha's detailed analysis has to say about the matter.
