Viñales pulls off dramatic win but is he off to Ducati for 2021?
Viñales linked to big-money deal to ride the Desmo in 2021
Maverick Viñales went from zero to hero in just seven days to show why Ducati are hotly-tipped to launch a big-bucks swoop for the Spaniard’s services in 2021.
Just a week after crashing out of victory contention on the last lap in Phillip Island, Viñales dominated the Sepang clash to register just his second win of the season and Yamaha’s first on Malaysian soil since 2010. Performances like his Sepang stunner will certainly put Ducati on red alert, with the 24-yearold linked with a transfer to the Bologna brand. Speculation started to pick up momentum during the flyaway triple-header in Japan, Australia and Malaysia that Ducati are willing to spend big to hire Viñales, who has a proven track record of fighting with and beating Marc Marquez on a factory Yamaha. Viñales refused to be drawn on any Ducati gossip in the aftermath of his Malaysia victory, only saying it was flattering to hear his name linked with one of the prized factory berths for 2021.
He said: “I prefer to think about the present and I am only focused race-by-race, regardless of what happens later. I am happy with what we are doing at Yamaha and we are working hard to play for a great 2020.”
Viñales inflicted a rare heavy defeat on Marquez in Sepang on Sunday to collect his first win since Assen, which puts him in the driving seat to secure third overall in the rankings and on course to finish top Yamaha in 2019.
Once Viñales disposed with the fast-starting Jack Miller on the opening lap, he never looked like letting Marquez put him under severe pressure after the World Champion produced a sensational first lap to leap from 11th to second. He said: “This will sound strange but after the crash in Australia I still felt like I won the race! In my mind, I felt I’d won because in my head I’d calculated where I’d pass Marc on the last lap but I crashed. It was a disaster but this was the perfect way for me to bounce back. When I knew Marc was behind me I just gave everything I had. I knew there was a risk I might have some problems with tyre wear but I didn’t care.
“There have been many races this year where I’ve been close to the podium and close to the victory but I couldn’t attack. That was very frustrating and difficult because it felt like I couldn’t push to my full potential but this weekend I understood from the first practice that I had a great chance of winning and I did it and this is one of the happiest times of my career.”