Maverick Vinales believes Yamaha can be “one complete team” in 2021 now seven-time MotoGP world champion Valentino Rossi has left for Petronas SRT.
Yamaha signed Fabio Quartararo to take Rossi’s place for 2021 at the start of last year, with the veteran Italian remaining a factory-backed rider with a switch to SRT.
Vinales feels Yamaha has lacked unity within its ranks “for the last three years” and, now there is no longer the division within the garage of having “Valentino’s team” and “my team”, believes the Japanese marque can be more “complete” in 2021.
“I think for us it’s very important the unity in the team, because for the last three years everyone was going it alone,” Vinales said on Monday during Yamaha’s 2021 launch event.
“We were not all as one, and I think with Esteban [Garcia, crew chief], also Lin [Jarvis, managing director] and Maio [Meregalli, team manager], what we are trying to do is take the 20 or 24 guys that are working inside the team to make it one team.
“And for me I think this is more important to keep the good mood, the good feeling.
“After the previous years, it’s been difficult because it was Valentino’s team, my team.
“Now I think we have the opportunity to be one complete team and to go forward in the same direction with both riders and to accomplish what we are able to do.”
Yamaha struggled with inconsistency in 2020, with Vinales remarking that it was “difficult to believe the bike can change so much from one track to the next”.
He added that with greater attention paid to finer details, “the results will come because we have the speed, we have good qualifying, we have good races, good rhythm”.
Quartararo agrees with Vinales’ comments, noting that their similar levels of performance across the 2020 campaign should aid in developing the M1.
“In Jerez, both [of us] made 1-2, then in the end of the championship we were always together; if I was seventh, he was eighth, or reversed so always super close,” Quartararo said when asked by Autosport about Vinales’ comments.
“At the end of the year, we never had a factory bike in P1 or P2, and then all the rest P11. We were all down or all up, so I think we more or less had the same complaints and I think we can do a good job together.
“It’s always difficult to say the same comment because we have different riding styles. But for sure we have the same problems and I think we need to push in the same way, and I think this is great.
“Of course, Maverick is my main rival, but if we can fight for one and two and not eighth and ninth, it’s much better to work together so I think it will be a good rivalry and to improve the bike.”