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Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales says the decision to dispense with crew chief Ramon Forcada at the end of the 2018 season was not made solely by him.
Vinales was at the centre of controversy in Brno last weekend as he announced that he and Forcada would part ways at the end of 2018, before Forcada revealed he had not been informed of that decision by the Spanish rider.
Yamaha then prevented Vinales from fielding questions from journalists on the topic during his Saturday media debrief.
Asked about ongoing tensions in his pitbox ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Vinales replied: “I think it’s done. Last weekend [there] was more noise than needs be.
“[It] was not a decision only from me, [it was] from all the team.
“Now it’s really important to focus on the job. There are still many races to go and we need to be there in the championship. We need to keep pushing, focus. I’m really excited for this weekend.
“We both have the objective to make the Yamaha number one. We have to keep working, to keep pushing.”
Vinales also denied a change in working method with Forcada was required, highlighting his back-to-back third place finishes at Assen and the Sachsenring prior to the summer break.
“The way we worked in Assen and the Sachsenring was perfect,” he said.
“We prepared the bike to be on the podium, that’s the first objective, then let’s see if we have the chance to win.
“I can’t wait to be on the bike and take the crash [at Brno] out of my mind, continue pushing like always.”
Vinales did not take part in Monday’s post-race test at Brno after injuring his shoulder in a first-lap crash, and said that decision had allowed him to return to peak physical shape for the Red Bull Ring round.
“I wanted to do [the test] so bad, because after a crash you want to go on the bike [and] push even more because I was feeling very good in warm-up,” he said.
“It’s a shame but I needed to skip the test, I went back to Barcelona, try to make the shoulder better and luckily here I will be at the maximum.”