2020 MotoGP: Maverick withdrawn by Yamaha Factory for Austrian GP for “irregular operation” of race bike

After announcing his departure from Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGPin June, Maverick Vinales has now been withdrawn from competition in this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix in Styria, Austria. There will be no replacement for Vinales, leaving Fabio Quartararo as the factory team’s sole competitor.

This sudden announcement was made by the team after Vinales’ performance during the previous weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix raised questions about “the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle by the rider.” From the press release, Yamaha considered Vinales’ actions to might possibly cause risks to rider and possibly posed a danger to other riders during the race, basing its decision on analysis of telemetry and data taken from Vinales Yamaha YZR-M1.

The statement also detailed decisions regarding future races will be taken after a detailed analysis of the situation and discussions with Vinales. During the Styrian Grand Prix, Vinales stalled his race bike on the reformed starting grid after the initial start was red-flagged due to a fiery racing incident between Dani Pedrosa and Lorenzo Savadori.

Forced to start from pit lane as per racing regulations, Vinales finished the race in last place, one minute and three seconds behind race winner Jorge Martin of Pramac Ducati. In the 2021 MotoGP season, Vinales finished first in the season opening Qatar Grand Prix followed by a second place in the Dutch TT in Assen.