Maverick Viñales has taken to social media to show himself onboard the first Aprilia which he will test, at Misano.
Viñales’ Instagram story shows the Spaniard sitting on an RS-GP emblazoned with his #12 on the fairing, barely more than a fortnight after he was suspended by Yamaha for attempting to damage one of its engines in the Michelin Grand Prix of Styria.
A termination of the contract between Yamaha and Viñales paved the way for him to make an even earlier switch to Aprilia, and thus the two-day test which begins this evening (AEST).
Yamaha Motor Racing managing director Lin Jarvis described the turmoil of the Styrian and Austrian Grands Prix events as “extraordinary” but has wished his former rider well.
The Iwata manufacturer is likely to itself make an early appointment due to the fallout from Viñales’ tantrum.
Specifically, its plan is for Franco Morbidelli to switch to Monster Energy Yamaha two rounds from now, when Andrea Dovizioso would make a grand prix comeback with Petronas Yamaha SRT.
That would unfold at the San Marino Grand Prix, which will be held at Misano on September 17-19, while the next round is the Aragon Grand Prix on the weekend prior.
