Maverick Vinales would have been close to retiring from MotoGP halfway through the 2021 season.
But, thankfully, there was Aprilia, and a contract with the Italian engine manufacturer ensured that he could once again enjoy the thrill of racing.
“There comes a time when you wonder what your passion is. In my case, that’s motorcycle racing.” Vinales said.
“My passion is Moto GP and winning races. Winning is above all for me. You don’t just lose your talents. That’s why I decided to move on, go to Aprilia and keep fighting for my dream of becoming world champion.” he added.
Vinales made his debut as a rider in the MotoGP class in 2015. After winning the MotoGP race of the British Grand Prix at Silverstone in his second season, his first MotoGP victory and the first victory for his employer Suzuki in the premier class since 2007.
The Spaniard switched to Yamaha for the 2017 season where he became the teammate of none other than Valentino Rossi.
Vinales started the season strong for Yamaha by winning the first two races of the season in Qatar and Argentina. It promised a lot and Vinales was immediately bombarded as one of the main candidates for the world title.
However, it didn’t come to that as with just one win (Le Mans) and two second places (Mugello and Silverstone) left, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team rider finished third in the final standings behind Honda rider Marc Marquez and Ducati star Andrea Dovizioso.
It immediately became the best season for Viñales as a Yamaha rider, despite the fact that he managed to win five races (2108, 2020 and 2021 all once and in 2019 2 times).
The 2021 season even seemed to start well again, just like in his first year on the Yamaha, the first race of the season at the Losail International Circuit was again won by Vinales.
But then things quickly went downhill and dissatisfaction with the technical package grew. It didn’t take long for things to escalate, so much so that Yamaha and Vinales even decided during the Dutch TT to terminate their contract a year earlier until the end of the 2022 season.
