Vinales doesn’t blame Marquez for Mugello MotoGP Q1 exit
Yamaha’s Maverick Vinales says he was “not disturbed” by Marc Marquez’s tactics in MotoGP Italian Grand Prix qualifying and does not blame him for his Q1 exit at Mugello.


Marquez followed Vinales on both of their runs in the first 15-minute qualifying session at Mugello on Saturday afternoon, with the Yamaha rider visibly frustrated by Marquez deliberately stalking him to use as a reference.
The Honda rider would go through to Q2 while Vinales will have to start Sunday’s 23-lap Italian GP from 13th.
However, Vinales does not blame Marquez’s tactics on his Q1 exit, instead admitting he was “not fast enough”.
“I don’t have any comment on that, honestly,” Vinales said when asked about Marquez’s tactics in Q1.
“Just we were not fast enough. Honestly, after FP1 I never had a gain the feeling, we just go backwards instead of forwards.
“So, no excuses, we were slow and that’s it.
"I was concentrated enough. I make a good lap, just not enough.
“I just make a nice lap, but then. [I was] not disturbed, I knew what was behind, but I also knew doing a good lap I was able to go to Q2.

Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“Just, I wasn’t fast enough. So, he didn’t disturb me.
“He played his cards really well and that’s it. Tomorrow is another day.”
Yamaha boss Massimo Meregalli called Marquez’s tactics “not fair” and hoped Race Direction would look at the incident.
Vinales looked to make a mistake on his final lap in Q1 while on an effort that the timing screens showed as being good enough to get him into Q2.
However, Vinales says he deliberately aborted the lap as his Yamaha’s dashboard showed him he wasn’t set to improve.
“I just slowed down,” he added.
“I had a very bad sector three and I just slowed down. In sector four I lost 0.3s. You can check.
“I was sure that I was slower than the previous lap, so basically I just went out [wide] to prepare another lap, but yeah [I ran out of time].”
Related video

Yamaha slams Marquez's "not fair" MotoGP qualifying tactics
MotoGP Italian Grand Prix – Start time, how to watch & more

Latest news
Retiring MotoGP ace Dovizioso "really didn't expect" Yamaha struggles
Retiring 15-time MotoGP race winner Andrea Dovizioso admits he "really didn't expect" to encounter the struggles he has in adapting to the Yamaha MotoGP bike.
2022 MotoGP title fight now “very tight”, says Aleix Espargaro
Aprilia’s Aleix Espargaro believes the current MotoGP championship picture following the British Grand Prix has set up “a very, very tight” title battle.
Pol Espargaro doesn’t think Honda is reacting to MotoGP woes
Pol Espargaro isn’t sure the problems Honda is facing at races in MotoGP this season are being relayed back to Japan as “we’re not getting the material we need”.
Marc Marquez to return to MotoGP paddock at Austrian GP for Honda progress update
Marc Marquez will return to the MotoGP paddock at the Austrian Grand Prix to check up on Honda’s progress as he continues his own rehabilitation.
The signs Quartararo’s 2022 MotoGP title is slipping away from him
Prior to the summer break, the 2022 MotoGP title looked like it was Fabio Quartararo’s to lose. But a crash at Assen and the consequential penalty he had to serve last weekend at Silverstone stopped him from capitalising on a main rival’s injury woes, while a resurgence from another, plus the rise of a former team-mate, look set to conspire against the Yamaha rider
Why Marquez’s toughest MotoGP foe is stopping at the right time
On the eve of the British Grand Prix, Andrea Dovizioso announced that he will be retiring from MotoGP after September’s San Marino GP. The timing of his departure raised eyebrows, but his reasoning remains sensible and what has happened this year should not diminish a hard-built legacy
Why a Suzuki refugee feels he deserves MotoGP's toughest challenge
Alex Rins’ MotoGP future was plunged into sudden doubt when Suzuki elected to quit the series at the end of 2022. Securing a deal with Honda to join LCR, he will now tread a path that many have fallen off from. But it was a move he felt his status deserved, and it’s a challenge – he tells Autosport - he faces with his eyes wide open…
How Formula 1 has driven MotoGP's changing nature
The hiring of technicians from Formula 1 has clearly contributed to a recent change in the MotoGP landscape, with the role of engineers gaining greater significance relative to the riders. Here's how this shift has come about
The revolution behind Aprilia's rise from MotoGP tail-ender to pack-leader
Coinciding with the arrival of Massimo Rivola as head of its MotoGP division, Aprilia has undergone an internal revolution that has spurred it from occupying last place in the team standings to leading the table in the space of just two years. Those entrenched in the project reveal how the ex-Ferrari F1 chief has achieved the dramatic turnaround
The battle Yamaha's wayward son is fighting to be fast again in MotoGP
Franco Morbidelli was long overdue a promotion to factory machinery when it finally came late last year, having finished runner-up in the 2020 standings on an old Yamaha package. But since then the Italian has been a shadow of his former self as he toils to adapt to the 2022 M1, and recognises that he needs to change his style to be quick on it
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. Key paddock figures explain why.
Who is Valentino Rossi’s newest MotoGP star?
Valentino Rossi’s protégés stole the show at Assen as Francesco Bagnaia stormed to victory to arrest a recent barren run. But it was the rider in second, on Bagnaia’s old bike, who had all eyes on him. Securing his and the VR46 team’s first MotoGP podium, Marco Bezzecchi has all the characteristics that made his mentor special