Vinales admits Yamaha 1-2 makes him consider future
Yamaha-linked rider Maverick Vinales admitted that the Japanese manufacturer's towering 1-2 finish at Jerez gave him food for thought for his future contract decisions.
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Vinales, who races for Suzuki but is widely considered the leading candidate to replace the outgoing Jorge Lorenzo at Yamaha in 2017, finished sixth in the Spanish Grand Prix, one spot behind teammate Aleix Espargaro.
When asked whether Yamaha's lockout of the top spots would influence his contract decision for 2017, Vinales responded: "For sure.
"For sure it makes me think, because if you see [Yamahas] first and second and we are fifth and sixth, you think a little bit.
"But I trust Suzuki and I trust that still they can show me the results."
Vinales also stated that he wanted to have his 2017 contract sorted sooner than later.
"Really, I want to clear [my future] fast now.
"Because Lorenzo made the decision [to join Ducati] and now I think it's important to take it out and concentrate on racing."
Espargaro lauds Suzuki teammate
Teammate Espargaro, meanwhile, praised Vinales as a "good guy" and said that both of Suzuki's riders were happy competing for the manufacturer.
"He's a really good guy. After we finish the race, he come to my place to say congrats," Espargaro said.
"Obviously we are very happy in Suzuki both right now, Suzuki is making progress, they've never been this close to Honda and Yamaha and they have two very hungry and professional, hard-working riders - the atmosphere here is fantastic right now."
Espargaro added that, after his own difficult start to the campaign, it was crucial to finish ahead of his highly-rated teammate at Jerez.
"It was important, it was important because Maverick did an unbelievable beginning of the season, I can say to you that he's really talented because I see his data.
"But we crash one time each and, anyway, we are one point apart [in the championship], so it means that after disaster two races, I'm doing a good job."
Additional reporting by Jamie Klein
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