Maverick Vinales has admitted that leaving Suzuki was a’mistake,’ former Repsol Honda president Livio Suppo feels’sorry’ for the team’s current circumstances, and Kevin Schwantz thinks Pedro Acosta will be in MotoGP within the next two years in today’s MotoGP Gossip column.
MotoGP racer Maverick Vinales has stated that leaving Suzuki to join the Iwata-based manufacturer was a mistake following his mid-season separation from Yamaha last year.
The current Aprilia rider got off to a strong start in 2021, winning the season opener in Qatar, but things quickly fell apart for the Spaniard, who didn’t finish on the podium again until round nine in Assen.
His only podium finishes came in the first and second races of the year, despite missing two races, which was his worst performance since his rookie season in 2015.
Following the first of two rounds in Austria, Vinales and Yamaha decided to part ways after the 26-year-old was observed over-revving his M1 engine during the race before eventually returning to pit-lane.
Vinales then tested for Aprilia in Misano before finalizing a deal with the team before Aragon, where he finished the last six races.
According to the-race.com, Vinales recently gave an interview in which he indicated that switching from Suzuki to Yamaha was a “mistake.”
“I don’t want to talk too much about the past,” added Vinales. “It’s clear that I made a mistake [leaving Suzuki]. In the end we created a really good team, but in that moment the Yamaha was a winning bike and I chose that way. Wrong or not, I don’t know, because in the end you make your own decisions.”
Livio Suppo, the former CEO of Repsol Honda, has expressed regret for the company’s current situation.
For the second year in a row, the team may be without Marc Marquez for pre-season testing, while 2021 was the team’s second-worst season in terms of podium finishes since 2001 (only 2020 was worse).
“I am very sorry for Honda that they have to fight like that now. Because when I left the team after the 2017 season, it was very strong,” said Suppo – reported by Motosan.es. “You have to find the right way. And I hope that Marc Marquez will be fine.
“That would certainly be helpful. But the results of all the other Honda riders were not great, so the bike’s development was probably not that good.”
Finally, Kevin Schwantz feels Pedro Acosta is destined for greatness in MotoGP and will only spend one or two seasons in Moto2.