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Maverick Vinales reflects on his career-altering departure from Yamaha in 2021
Maverick Vinales expressed regret for leaving Yamaha in the 2021 MotoGP season and choosing Aprilia, feeling he would have benefitted more by staying put. Despite winning three grands prix in his debut season for Yamaha in 2017, Vinales struggled to maintain his early success. Tensions escalated between Yamaha and Vinales during a disappointing 2021 season, leading to an early separation. Vinales was dismissed by Yamaha for intentionally damaging his engine during the Styrian Grand Prix. He later joined Aprilia for the remainder of 2021 before signing with Tech3 KTM until 2024. Reflecting on his MotoGP career with Jorge Lorenzo in a podcast, Vinales admitted regret over not staying with Yamaha, wishing to have embraced stability over change and transformation. He highlighted missed opportunities in his career, including a chance to contend for a world title in 2017, but Yamaha’s decisions hindered his progress.
