Vinales signs surprise new Yamaha MotoGP works deal
Yamaha has announced it has retained the services of Maverick Vinales for two more years, marking the completion of the first major deal of the 2020 MotoGP silly season.

The 2013 Moto3 world champion joined Yamaha from Suzuki in 2017, and has so far tallied up six wins – including two last year - on the YZR-M1 across his three seasons with the team.
Vinales’s current contract was agreed before the team’s launch event at the start of 2018, though his uneven form during that campaign made a repeat of such an early signing for Yamaha seem unlikely.
Commenting on his new deal, Vinales says he didn’t want his 2021 future weighing on his mind during the early phase of the season and saw “no reason not to stay with Yamaha”.
“I‘m extremely happy because I feel like I get to keep ’my own team‘,” said Vinales, who finished third in the rider standings last year.
“This will be the second year with my current crew, and after this I have two more years to look forward to.
“I‘m so excited! I think that if we keep working really hard we are heading the right way.
“For me, it was very important to make this announcement before the season started, because I‘m highly motivated and want to be able to fully concentrate on the 2020 season. I don‘t want to spend too much time thinking about the future.
“There were no reasons not to stay with Yamaha, because they feel like family. Yamaha is giving me a lot of support and, as I said, I have ’my own team‘, which is something I really need.
“We need to keep working and be very strong. Our main objective is, as always, to be world champion and try to bring Yamaha the number one honour again.
“I will try my best. For sure, I will give everything I have to make our team proud too."
Vinales had been linked to a potential move to Ducati, with the Italian marque not ruling out the possibility when asked about it last year.
This announcement now casts some doubt on Valentino Rossi’s future inside the factory Yamaha MotoGP team, with last year’s Petronas SRT rookie sensation Fabio Quartararo highly likely to be given a promotion to the works squad.
Rossi has previously stated he wants to see how he performs in the opening races before committing to a career extension, and also didn’t rule out moving to SRT if there was no space for him at the works team.
Yamaha will officially launch its 2020 season on the eve of the first test of the year at Sepang in Malaysia on February 6.

Maverick Vinales, Yamaha Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Previous article
Petrucci reveals late-2019 crisis of confidence
Next article
Quartararo set to replace Rossi at Yamaha in 2021

About this article
Series | MotoGP |
Drivers | Maverick Viñales |
Teams | Yamaha Factory Racing |
Author | Lewis Duncan |
Vinales signs surprise new Yamaha MotoGP works deal
Trending
Suzuki commits to 2026
Marc Marquez sensational comeback
Motorsport.tv Live: Portuguese MotoGP
Marc Marquez is back
MotoGP Starting Grid: Portugal Grand Prix
What does Marc Marquez have to do to get back to his best?
Following his resounding MotoGP return with a seventh place finish in Portugal, Marc Marquez now must work to rediscover his best form before turning his attention towards results-based targets
How Yamaha's rookie-spec MotoGP star is taking charge
Fabio Quartararo is on a roll in 2021 after storming to victory at a venue five months earlier served up one of his worst races. Contrasting Portuguese GPs for Yamaha's factory duo make it hard to understand just how good its 2021 MotoGP bike is, but the Portimao weekend did at least expose one key improvement compared to 2020
The hurdles Marquez faces next in his Portugal MotoGP return
Even by Marc Marquez’s own high standards, his MotoGP comeback on Friday at the Portuguese Grand Prix will be considered a success even if he didn’t top the times. But having shown competitive pace on his first day back, both Marquez and his rivals know plenty more challenges are to come...
Where does Espargaro sit ahead of Marquez's return?
Pol Espargaro’s first results as a Honda MotoGP rider may not appear special. But dig a little deeper and a clearer picture of his performance emerges. And, as Lewis Duncan writes, it’s cause for celebration at Honda with the return of Marc Marquez set to provide Espargaro with the reference he has been missing so far this year
The "pit bull" MotoGP rookie already drawing legendary comparisons
MotoGP’s 2021 rookie crop is one of the strongest in recent years, but one is already standing out. Jorge Martin’s Doha GP heroics have courted many to compare him to numerous MotoGP legends. Autosport spoke to Pramac boss Francesco Guidotti to find out why MotoGP’s latest Spanish star is already making such an impact
Why MotoGP's stewards must revisit Miller and Mir's Losail clash
Despite Suzuki’s decision not to appeal against Race Direction’s refusal to penalise Jack Miller following the incident with Joan Mir in Losail, something must be done to avoid a repeat of such an incident, which could have easily ended in tragedy
Why MotoGP’s top gun looks more dangerous at the Doha GP
Lightning hasn't struck twice for Maverick Vinales since 2017 and his wayward form of recent years makes predicting how he'll fare each MotoGP race weekend tricky. But fresh from his Qatar GP win, Vinales looks like an even more dangerous prospect for the Doha GP following an intriguing Friday practice.
Why MotoGP’s new Amazon Prime series is long overdue
OPINION: MotoGP is getting its own version of Drive to Survive on Amazon Prime at some point in the near future. It was news welcomed by the grid’s leading riders. And following the impact DTS has had on Formula 1, MotoGP desperately needs the same boost.