Vinales set for Aprilia switch
Yamaha factory rider Maverick Vinales is set for a shock switch to Aprilia for the 2022 Motogp season after a breakdown in relations with the Japanese manufacturer.
Yamaha confirmed on Monday that, upon request from nine-time Motogp race winner Vinales, there will be a parting of the ways at the end of 2021 (one year before the end of his current contract) because the relationship between both parties has irreparably soured in recent weeks.
Vinales felt that Yamaha’s response to his struggles on the bike in 2021 seemed disrespectful, with the Spaniard’s form on the M1 wildly inconsistent for a number of seasons.
Vinales denied reports linking him to Aprilia for 2022, while the Italian marque said it had not entered negotiations, but would be interested in him if he was free.
Yamaha has limited options to replace Vinales, with Petronas SRT’S Franco Morbidelli the most likely candidate. Morbidelli’s SRT contract states that he can extract himself for 2022 if a factory team offers him a deal, but the relationship between SRT and Yamaha has been somewhat strained since the manufacturer offered Valentino Rossi’s VR46 team discounted M1s for 2022.
With SRT and Yamaha set to extend their partnership beyond 2021, a Morbidelli move to the factory squad is not as clear-cut an option as it appears. SRT’S options to replace Rossi, who is expected to retire, are already limited as its preferred choice, star Moto2 rookie
Raul Fernandez, looks set to join Tech3 KTM. A Morbidelli exit would only add to its rider line-up conundrum.
SRT’S Moto2 riders Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge are options for 2022, while Yamaha World Superbike rider Toprak Razgatlioglu has also been linked.
VR46 GETS DUCATI MACHINERY
Rossi’s VR46 squad will use Ducatis in 2022 after signing a three-year deal with the Italian marque, with Luca Marini set to get a factory-spec bike and expected team-mate Marco Bezzecchi a GP21.
Rossi’s squad will bring the number of Ducatis on the 2022 grid up to eight for the first time since 2018, with Gresini also signing a two-year deal.