MotoGP, official: Maverick Viñales to Aprilia in 2022

After a long wait, Maverick Viñales has now signed an agreement with Aprilia. The Noale manufacturer, which will race as a factory team in MotoGP next year, has confirmed the hiring of the Spaniard, who will flank Aleix Espargaró next season, for a return to the old Suzuki line-up.

The Spaniard’s move to Aprilia was already rumoured by Spanish DAZN commentator Ricard Jové on 27 June.

The official Aprilia press release reads: “It is with great pleasure that Aprilia welcomes Maverick Viñales to the Aprilia Racing factory team.

This completes the official team for the 2022 MotoGP season, with Maverick coming alongside Aleix Espargaró astride the RS-GP. The Spanish rider has signed an annual contract with an option for renewal.

The signing of Viñales is another step in the Italian team's growth and development strategy, which comes just in the year of the transition to a factory team. Two events that testify to Aprilia's desire to continue to grow in the top category of world motorcycling”.

In the words of Massimo Rivola, Aprilia CEO

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The agreement now finalised, Aprilia Racing CEO Massimo Rivola comments: “We are extremely happy to announce that we have signed Maverick Viñales, a very high-level rider and one of the purest talents in the premier category. Our project has now been enriched with the value that Maverick brings - a World Champion who has confirmed his talent as a top rider in MotoGP - at a time of great change, after bringing a completely revamped bike to the track and having consistently established ourselves in the group of protagonists, we are also facing a switch in status as a Factory Team now, in order to take Aprilia to success. We are honoured to be able to make all of our best skills available to Viñales along with our enthusiasm and our passion. I am confident that, like Aleix, he will embrace this extremely high-potential project. The arrival of Maverick in no way distances Lorenzo Savadori from the team, as he will remain an integral part of the Aprilia Racing family.”

Translated by Heather Watson

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