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• Maverick Vinales has been omitted from this weekend's MotoGP race by his Yamaha team.
• The decision comes after the rider has been found guilty of over-revving his bike.
• Vinales will not be replaced by another rider.
• For more motoring stories, visit Wheels24
Leading up to the 2021 Biti Motorrad Grand Prix Von Österreich in Austria, the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team announced that rider Maverick Vinales would not be competing in this weekend's race. The announcement came as both a shock and surprise as no one saw it coming.
The team only cited Vinales' "unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle" in last weekend's Styrian GP - held at the same venue as the upcoming race, the Red Bull Ring. The official MotoGP website confirmed that the Monster Energy Yamaha team would not replace the rider, leaving championship leader Fabio Quartararo as the sole rider for the team.
Following a difficult race last time out, Vinales found himself in last place and out of contention for a good result. On-board footage shows the rider hitting his bike's rev limiter on the race's final lap coming out of Turn 8. He would do so again, twice coming into the pitlane. Vinales did not cross the finish line.
Official team statement
The statement by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team reads as follows:
"Yamaha regrets to announce that Maverick Vinales' entry to this weekend’s Austrian MotoGP event has been withdrawn by the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team. The absence follows the suspension of the rider by Yamaha due to the unexplained irregular operation of the motorcycle by the rider during last weekend's Styria MotoGP race. Yamaha's decision follows an in-depth analysis of telemetry and data over the last days.
"Yamaha's conclusion is that the rider's actions could have potentially caused significant damage to the engine of his YZR-M1 bike which could have caused serious risks to the rider himself and possibly posed a danger to all other riders in the MotoGP race.
"The rider will not be replaced at the Austrian GP. Decisions regarding the future races will be taken after a more detailed analysis of the situation and further discussions between Yamaha and the rider."
