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Yamaha announced on the Monday following the Dutch TT at Assen in June that it – upon request from Vinales – had agreed to part ways with the nine-time MotoGP race winner at the end of this season, one year earlier than his current contract was due to expire.

Vinales joined Yamaha from Suzuki in 2017 and has had a fragmented tenure with the Japanese marque, with the relationship between the pair irreparably souring in recent weeks as his form since winning the Qatar GP has been mixed.

The relationship between Yamaha and Vinales reached its nadir last week, when the manufacturer suspended him and withdrew him from the Austrian GP for trying to blow up his engine during the Styrian GP.

Vinales later apologised for this, blaming his actions on frustration at his situation during the race and in general at Yamaha.

It’s unclear yet whether Vinales will race again in 2021 with Yamaha.

Reports during the Dutch TT weekend linked Vinales with a move to Aprilia, though both he and the Italian marque denied this at the time.

However, Aprilia has now confirmed Vinales’ appointment on a one-year deal with an option to renew, the nine-time MotoGP race winner replacing rookie Lorenzo Savadori next year.

"We are extremely happy to announce that we have signed Maverick Vinales, a very high-level rider and one of the purest talents in the premier category," Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing CEO, said.

"Our project has now been enriched with the value that Maverick brings - a world champion who has confirmed his talent as a top rider in MotoGP - at a time of great change, after bringing a completely revamped bike to the track and having consistently established ourselves in the group of protagonists, we are also facing a switch in status as a factory team now, in order to take Aprilia to success.

"We are honoured to be able to make all of our best skills available to Vinales along with our enthusiasm and our passion. I am confident that, like Aleix, he will embrace this extremely high-potential project.

"The arrival of Maverick in no way distances Lorenzo Savadori from the team, as he will remain an integral part of the Aprilia Racing family."

Vinales will join Aleix Espargaro next year, with the pair previously team-mates at Suzuki in its first two seasons of its MotoGP return in 2015 and 2016.

The Spaniard’s move to secure the second RS-GP ends hopes of Andrea Dovizioso joining the marque in 2022.

Dovizioso has become Aprilia’s test rider in 2021 having turned down a race ride for this season at the end of 2020, prompting him to take a sabbatical with a view to a full-time MotoGP return in 2022.

All doors back onto the MotoGP grid in 2022 now look closed for Dovizioso.

Franco Morbidelli is set to step up from Petronas SRT to take Vinales’ place at the factory Yamaha squad.

With title sponsor Petronas ending its association with SRT at the end of 2021, SRT’s options are also slender, with its Moto3 rider Darryn Binder set to make the leap directly to MotoGP with the outfit, while the likes of Jake Dixon and Xavi Vierge have also been linked to moves.

It’s understood SRT’s deal with Yamaha has also been renegotiated so that it will only have ‘B-spec’ Yamahas in 2022.

Valentino Rossi protégé Marco Bezzecchi had also been linked to an SRT seat, but now looks set to step up to MotoGP with VR46 Ducati next year, while SRT’s first option Raul Fernandez has been locked into a two-year contract with KTM and Tech3.

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Originally posted by cfiore:
I recorded the race on Hulu/NBCSN and they let nascar play over so my recording ended literally right before the warm up lap. UNBELIEVABLE! So pissed. And I looked and couldn't see that they are going to replay it.

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
Wow, that was an insane close to that race.
Some amazing riding to do that on slicks!

Really shows the difference between slicks & wets on a damp/wet track.

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Originally posted by stickman428:
Do you guys know if both of the bikes MotoGP riders use have power settings/fuel maps for rain?

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
Judging by the riders being instructed "Mapping 2" on the dash, I can't imagine any reason to not have a 'rain' map.
BB definitely had some wild slides on those closing laps. Can't imagine how that had to feel.

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:

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Originally posted by P250UA5:
Judging by the riders being instructed "Mapping 2" on the dash, I can't imagine any reason to not have a 'rain' map.
BB definitely had some wild slides on those closing laps. Can't imagine how that had to feel.

They have several maps. One to reduce fuel towards the end of the race if the system calculates the rider has spent too much fuel. Another for rain. Map changes power, timing, TC, a bunch of parameters.

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Originally posted by stickman428:
As the bike burns fuel and its weight changes along with the tire condition the mapping tries to take that into consideration and provide the most power possible without providing too much power. If they didn’t alter the fuel maps they would probably all run out of fuel before the end of the race. They have a specific amount of fuel that has to get them to the end of the race. It’s a balancing act where they attempt to provide the best possible performance throughout the entirety of the race.

Right now I cannot fathom how Ducati is making that kind of power and not running out of gas towards the end of the race. They did their homework and it’s amazing to watch.

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Originally posted by Prefontaine:
Desmo valves sip fuel compared to pneumatic valving. This is why Ducati consistently bust everyone’s ass down the straight.

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Vinales has been suspended by Yamaha following the Styrian GP, in which he attempted to deliberately damage his bike’s engine in the closing laps.

Yamaha announced on the eve of last weekend’s Austrian GP that Vinales had been suspended and withdrawn from the second Red Bull Ring race.

Vinales publicly apologised to Yamaha on Saturday in Austria, admitting his actions in the Styrian GP were driven by frustration at his situation during the race and within Yamaha in general.

The relationship between both parties broke down irreparably across the 2021 season, with Vinales requesting his two-year contract to be terminated at the end of the current campaign.

Last Monday Aprilia confirmed it had signed Vinales for the 2022 season.

Yamaha said last week any decision on Vinales competing in further races this year would be subject to discussion.

“At the moment, everything is possible,” Yamaha team manager Massimo Meregalli told BT Sport last weekend in regards to the possibility of Vinales racing again.

“The decision [to suspend him] was made here, it was made by us [in Europe]. We had some talks with Japan, but the first step was to suspend in view of this race.

“Then we will see what happens.”

Motorsport.com can now confirm Vinales will not race at the British GP, with Yamaha test rider Cal Crutchlow set to take over the second factory M1 alongside Fabio Quartararo for his home event.

Crutchlow, who retired at the end of 2020, has been deputising for the injured Franco Morbidelli at Petronas SRT for the Austrian double-header and was due to do the same at Silverstone.

His place at SRT for the British GP will be taken by SRT Moto2 rider Jake Dixon, who will make his MotoGP debut in front of his home crowd.

SRT will use the British GP outing to evaluate Dixon as one of its options for the 2022 season, with the team’s search for a new line-up in the wake of Morbidelli’s promotion to the factory squad in 2022 in place of Vinales and Valentino Rossi’s retirement becoming complicated in recent weeks.

Last Sunday Petronas announced it would be ending its title sponsorship of SRT for 2022, while Yamaha is set to only supply it with ‘B-spec’ machinery next year.

With limited options, SRT looks set to promote Darryn Binder straight from Moto3 to MotoGP next year, with the South African testing a Yamaha Superbike at Brno on Tuesday.

At this stage, it’s unclear whether Vinales’ suspension will extend only to Silverstone or if his days at Yamaha have come to a premature end.