VINALES ATTACKS HIS OWN TEAM
Young Spaniard crashes out on lap one following public fall out with crew chief
O Disastrous crash could see major shake-up,
Maverick Viñales’ inner circle appeared to descend into complete chaos at Brno as the Yamaha rider and his hugely-experienced crew chief Ramon Forcada publicly traded insults in the media.
With rumours circulating for weeks that Viñales was looking for a change for next year, things came to a head after a huge bust-up over their free practice strategy. Sent out on a tyre combination he wasn’t happy with, he finished the session in 11th while team-mate Valentino Rossi topped the session.
That in turn sent Viñales to Q1, where another error meant he didn’t have enough tyres ready leaving him a distant 12th, far enough back to be caught up in Stefan Bradl’s first lap accident in Sunday’s race and ending any hopes he had of fighting for the podium.
With Yamaha believed to have already signed Bradley Smith’s current crew chief Esteban Garcia as his replacement (after reportedly attempting to poach Jonathan Rea’s long-time Kawasaki WSB crew chief Pere Riba first), the outspoken Forcada then went on the offensive, admitting that he’s not even sure if he’ll now see out the season with Viñales after the latest debacle. “Yamaha communicated it to me a few days ago but there has not been a single word from the rider. I don’t know what happened. No complaints, no bad gestures, absolutely nothing.
“In the end, everyone here is, or tries to be, professional. We do the job as before because the relationship is the same as before. I will try to make a bike to win until my last race but as things stand I’m not sure when that will be.” However, while Viñales might be adamant that a change in his garage will return him to the form he first showed on the Yamaha by winning three out of the opening four races of 2017, it’s clear that the Japanese manufacturer still has faith in Forcada as well. The 61-year-old veteran is understood to be Valentino Rossi’s number one choice to work with his protégé Franco Morbidelli at the new Petronas Yamaha satellite team. And the nine-time world champion is putting his money where his mouth is by financially ensuring that the move happens. Forcada’s expected departure marks the third member of staff to leave Viñales’ inner circle recently, as Jorge Lorenzo’s title-winning mechanic Javier Ullate joins rider coach Wilco Zeelenburg in leaving at the end of the season, with the Dutch former Grand Prix winner set to be Forcada’s new boss at Petronas Yamaha.
Qualifying bust-up leads to disaster on Brno opening lap
Crew chief Forcada now set to be replaced