On Saturday Maverick Vinales finally broke his silence after the incredible events of the past week, pleading with his Yamaha MotoGP team for forgiveness after seemingly admitting to its incredible claims that he deliberately attempted to blow up his M1’s engine during last weekend’s Styrian Grand Prix.
Speaking to Italian media ahead of qualifying – which he watched from trackside (wearing full team kit) as he remains suspended by Yamaha – he conceded that he had ‘rode in a different way’ in the final laps of the race and asked the team to forgive him.
“In the end I had a lot of frustration, and I want to apologise to Yamaha because in the end everything was about frustration, and also a lot of nerves,” Vinales said.
“I rode the bike in a different way, in the last lap It was a big explosion of emotion, frustration.
“There was an explosion within me that I wasn’t able to channel in the right way.
“I want to say sorry for the way I was riding in the last few laps, and I ask them to forgive me.”
But will his act of public contrition be enough to repair his relationship with the squad at least long enough to see out the end of the season?
They only need to last together until November after agreeing to split halfway through a two-year deal, so he has in theory got another eight races to get through with the team.
Yet the apology doesn’t seem to have changed anyone’s mood within the Yamaha camp.
In fact, according to The Race’s sources in the team, while Vinales might have apologised publicly, he has yet to do so privately and in person.
That comes after reports of weeks of rising tension between him and team manager Lin Jarvis in particular, with Vinales personally blaming the British team boss for his inconsistency this year.
The flames are being fanned by members of Vinales’ entourage, too, with his father Angel in particular believed to have made things worse by making incendiary comments to Jarvis about the problems that his son is facing.
Alongside rumours continuing to circulate the paddock about damage inflicted upon Vinales’ team-issued scooter following last Sunday’s race by his entourage, it all looks far from helpful for reconciling with the team.
Repairing the damage between them hasn’t just got sporting implications for Vinales, though, with a sacking likely to mean he loses at least some of his €8million salary.
While he is officially only suspended from this weekend’s race, we’re likely to find out whether his apology has been deemed sufficient in the coming days, when Yamaha’s senior management in Japan return from annual summer holidays, under which much of the country takes time off in early August.
Yet while Vinales’ side of the garage might be in absolute turmoil, the other side of the box has never been happier, with his team-mate and championship leader Fabio Quartararo saying yesterday that his squad are working incredibly well despite the chaos around them.
“The atmosphere is great,” he said at the post-qualifying press conference when asked about the situation at Yamaha by The Race.
“I have my people in the garage, and one mechanic from Maverick’s side stayed to help and I have to thank him because he is working on my bike when he could be at home. But the atmosphere is fantastic.”
