PARIS, Sept 2 — Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales will make his Aprilia debut at the Aragon Grand Prix on September 12 after the termination of his contract with Yamaha.
Vinales, 26, parted with Yamaha last month after a series of disagreements with the team.
Yamaha had announced in June that Vinales would leave the team a year before the end of his contract, at the rider's request so he could join Aprilia for next season.
Then in August, Yamaha suspended Vinales on suspicion of attempting to damage his bike at the Styrian GP.
Vinales will now join Aprilia for the remainder of the 2021 campaign and line up alongside Aleix Espargaro, with Lorenzo Savadori racing as a wildcard for the rest of the year.
Savadori will return to being a test rider next season when Vinales makes his full-time debut with the Italian manufacturer.
Vinales has taken nine wins in MotoGP, 13 pole positions and 28 podium finishes and has twice finished third in the championship.
He won the season-opener in Qatar but then struggled to match Yamaha team-mate Fabio Quartararo.
While Vinales could only manage one second place in the next nine races, the Frenchman won four and is the runaway championship leader. — AFP
