Vinales: Yamaha response to my MotoGP issues “starting to seem disrespectful"

The Spaniard suffered his worst-ever weekend as a MotoGP rider at the Sachsenring, qualifying second-to-last in 21st and finishing the race 24.715 seconds off the victory in 19th – last of the classified runners.

It follows a difficult run for Vinales since winning the Qatar GP at the start of the campaign, with the Yamaha rider nowhere near the podium since.

To try to reverse his fortunes, he has been working with a new crew chief in ex-Valentino Rossi ally Silvano Galbusera since the Barcelona weekend, who replaced Esteban Garcia – who in turn was brought in by Vinales in 2019 after his relationship with Ramon Forcada broke down.

Vinales’ form is in stark contrast to that of team-mate Fabio Quartararo, who leads the championship by 22 points having finished third in Germany – his third podium of the year following three wins.

The Spaniard was at a loss to explain his woes in Germany, stating nobody at Yamaha could offer him an answer to his rear grip issues and admitting he purposefully backed off battling the Avintia Ducatis last Sunday to understand how the M1 worked in clean air having struggled to overtake.

In a fiery outburst, Vinales was critical of how he feels Yamaha has been responding to his problems, stating: “Every rider has to have his own set-up.

“It can't be that I've been using my rival's set-up for two years.

“Every rider has his style, and every day they are teaching me how to ride: take the brake, leave the brake. Open the throttle, close the throttle.

“I have to be patient. I don't want to use Fabio's set-up because I don't ride like him, and that doesn't work for me.

“I want them to make a bike for me. I don't want to be using other people's set-up every day.

“I'm not here to take data or to be a test rider. This is starting to seem disrespectful.

“With someone else's set-up I don't think I can win. I've been gathering information since Portugal.”

Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

He added: “It's a constant 'I don't know' [the response he receives].

“What frustrates me the most is not having answers as to why I don't have grip.

"I'm looking forward to going home; I was looking forward to going home yesterday and the day before yesterday.

“It's complicated because on the track you see how the others are doing, and how you are doing.”

Vinales’ outburst has surprised, given he ended the post-race test in Barcelona full of confidence.

After the German GP, Vinales’ championship hopes have taken another battering as he now stands 56 points behind Quartararo down in sixth in the standings.