Rossi: Yamaha/Vinales MotoGP situation “a shame for the championship”
Valentino Rossi says he is “very sad” for both parties following Yamaha’s suspension of Maverick Vinales for the MotoGP Austrian Grand Prix, calling it “a shame for the championship”.


On Thursday ahead of this weekend’s 11th round of the 2021 season, Yamaha announced it had suspended Vinales and withdrawn him from the Austrian GP for “irregular operation” of his M1 in the Styrian GP.
Autosport understands that Vinales was deliberately trying to blow up his bike’s engine in the Styrian GP by over-revving it.
Yamaha is yet to make any further public comment since the announcement, while Vinales is also yet to say anything – all of this coming in the wake of Vinales electing to terminate his two-year deal with Yamaha at the end of this season following an irreparable souring of the relationship between both parties.
Rossi, who was Vinales’ factory Yamaha team-mate from 2017 to 2020, hopes both team and rider can reconcile and see out the season together.
“I am very, very sad for this situation, for both sides,” Rossi said when asked by Autosport to comment on his ex-team-mate’s situation.
“Because Maverick is my friend, he is a good guy, and also Yamaha is always my team from a long time.
“So, I think it is a shame, it's a shame for everything, it's a shame for the championship and it's a shame to don't have Maverick on the track with the Yamaha.

Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I think that they can fix the situation in some way because anyway, Maverick is fast, the bike is fast.
“So, I hope they can speak, they can fix the situation and see Maverick on track from the next race.”
Vinales won’t be replaced this weekend and any future appearances are subject to discussion.
The Spaniard’s current team-mate and the championship leader, Fabio Quartararo, said he was “not surprised” by Thursday’s announcement, stating: “Well, I have no proper comments,” Quartararo said.
“I’m not really surprised, I think and I guess many people know what happened.
“And for me it’s no problem to ride alone. It’s difficult to say something, better to ask Yamaha people than myself but for me it won’t change anything on my weekend.”
Read Also:
Quartararo did admit he was surprised by how dramatically the situation between Vinales and Yamaha has deteriorated, but suggested that it can’t be because of the bike.
“All the bikes can improve in the areas we want to improve, but he won also the first race of the season,” he added.
“He was far back, he overtook, he pulled away. So, the bike is working well and is really consistent.
“So, I don’t know what happened honestly because the bike is great.
“Of course, we are missing a few things but it’s not dramatic, I feel like we have the potential to fight for the podiums, top five at least in the races we can.”
Honda’s Marc Marquez says the “critical situation” between Yamaha and Vinales arriving at the latter’s suspension is “really strange”, but concedes that it’s “not my problem”.
“So, of course as we know the relationship was in a critical situation the last races,” Marquez said.
“But sometimes we see some ups and downs between the rider and manufacturer.
“But to arrive at this point is really strange, it happened sometimes in the past but in the end they know what happened.
“They need to explain well, it’s not my problem. We have enough problems inside our box to pay attention to others.”
Related video

Red Bull Ring unveils revised MotoGP Turn 2 layout
Petronas to withdraw SRT MotoGP title sponsorship

Latest news
De Vries cleared of wrongdoing in dispute over €250K loan
Nyck de Vries has been cleared of any wrongdoing in an Amsterdam court over a claim launched against him by real estate magnate Jeroen Schothorst relating to a €250,000 loan.
Horner admits Red Bull’s real RB19 will be ‘somewhat different’
Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the real RB19 that will appear in Formula 1 testing in Bahrain later this month will be ‘somewhat different'.
Horner hints at closer links between Mercedes and Williams F1 teams
Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner has hinted that there could be a closer relationship between the Mercedes and Williams Formula 1 teams in the wake of James Vowles’s move.
Ford remains committed to WRC amid F1 return
Ford has stated that it remains committed to its programme in the World Rally Championship following confirmation of its return to Formula 1 as an engine supplier from 2026.
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.