Maverick Vinales Opens Up On Lost Championship Potential With Yamaha

Saajan Jogia | Dec 28, 2024

Apr 13, 2024; Austin, TX, USA; Maverick Vinales (12) of Spain and Aprilia Racing rides during practice for the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at Circuit of The Americas. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

Maverick Vinales opened up on his missed championship opportunity with Yamaha, believing that he could have won a MotoGP title by now had the team listened to his early advice of not fiddling with the bike's setup. He felt that the M1 Yamaha provided him with wasn’t suited to his requirements, as he wanted the setup similar to the one Jorge Lorenzo left behind when he departed the team.

Lorenzo was replaced by Vinales at Yamaha in 2017 following his time at Suzuki. Vinales made an impressive start with the team, aiming to become world champion. He won the first two races in Qatar and Argentina, followed by a third victory in Le Mans. However, he couldn't secure another win that season and ultimately finished third in the championship standings.

His departure from Yamaha in 2021 paved the way for a new chapter with Aprilia, where he secured his first victory this year at the Americas GP, which made him the only non-Ducati rider to win a race in 2024. In 2025, he is set to join Tech3 KTM.

In a documentary produced by Spanish broadcaster Dazn, Vinales shared his frustration with Yamaha’s decision to change the M1’s development path despite his belief that the bike didn’t require adjustments. He feels that the unnecessary modifications on the bike ultimately cost him the chance to secure a title during those crucial early years with the team. Expressing his views on 'Maverick: Two Lives', as reported by Autosport, he said:

“When I joined Yamaha, I came in like a rocket. I arrived with a clear idea, a clear objective and that's the only thing I asked Yamaha for: I want to be world champion.

“I don't want to be anything else, don't make me be anything else because I want to be this, I'm not interested in anything else.

“When I got on the Yamaha at the Valencia test, I fell in love with it. I asked them not to touch it. I wanted this one, which was the bike that Jorge left.

“[I said:] Bring me this bike to Qatar, with this I'm going to win the world championship. But when I got to Sepang [for the pre-season test], ‘where is that bike?’

“I won the first race, I won the second, I won at Le Mans, it was one of the best days of my life, I won a battle against my idol, Valentino Rossi.

“But in Barcelona there was a wave of changes. I didn't understand anything. I told them not to touch the bike."

While Vinales still aspires to win the championship, he believes achieving this goal would be more challenging with a satellite Ducati team. As a result, he has chosen to race with KTM’s factory machine next season. He explained:

“What is the next challenge I want? For me the challenge is to win the world championship.

“Now I have come to the conclusion that there are two sides: either you are the challenger or you go to the dark side. Either you go to KTM or you go to Ducati.

“At Ducati it is very difficult to win. How are you going to beat the official team? It is very complicated, you have the same bike, but not the same weapons. So I only had one option, to go to KTM and be the challenger.”