Maverick Vinales puts eight-figure number on his cost to leave Yamaha

Maverick Vinales has detailed the financial impact of his split with Yamaha in 2021.

Vinales joined the Tech3 KTM team for this season having spent three-and-a-half seasons at Aprilia since joining midway through the 2021 MotoGP season.

The Aprilia move was facilitated by the messy ending Vinales had at Yamaha after the Styrian Grand Prix that year.

Vinales was midway through the first year of a two-year contract with the Iwata marque at the time, meaning his split with the brand had substantial financial consequences.

“Of course I have calculated it and I would tell you,” Maverick Vinales said in an interview with Spanish publication AS.

“I don't have to hide it.

“I left Yamaha in '21 and I had a contract for '21 and '22.

“When I left Yamaha I gave up, if I add it all up, 17 million [euros] or so in those two years.

“Eight and eight plus Monster [Energy] and more stuff I had. I gave up a lot.

“Leaving Aprilia, no. Hopefully [laughs].”

Vinales added that he would perhaps act “differently” if he were able to relive the end of his time at Yamaha.

“I want to say that I gave up an extremely important amount and that, now, if I were to go back, I would have liked to have done things differently,” he said.

“I have the feeling that, with the experience I have now and the way I've matured, maybe I could have finished it off with Yamaha. It's very difficult to know.”

Valentino Rossi “very nice, very smart”

Vinales’ time at Yamaha was spent almost entirely with Valentino Rossi as his teammate at the factory team, such was the way his time with the brand ended in 2021 when he’d been joined by Fabio Quartararo.

The Spanish rider compared favourably against the Italian nine-time World Champion, beating him in the standings in three out of four seasons.

“The only year I didn't beat him was ‘18, which he beat me by two points and it was really because Yamaha chose what Valentino [Rossi] wanted, but the other years I was strong,” Vinales said.

“It wasn't easy, but for me it was a very nice experience to share the box with Valentino, but look who I was fighting against. On and off the [track].”

Vinales added: “He is a very cool guy, very nice, very friendly.

“The truth is that I had a great relationship with him, but he is very smart. He's very smart.

“And I wanted to win, although all of us here want to win.”