Movistar Yamaha team chief Massimo Meregalli has confirmed that no team orders are in place for the rest of the 2017 MotoGP season to try and ensure Maverick Vinales has a shot at the title.
With Valentino Rossi now effectively out of the championship chase with a 56-point gap to Marc Marquez, Yamaha’s only hope now is for Vinales to step up and close his 28-point disadvantage but The Doctor is under no official instruction to assist his younger team-mate.
“We never did it in the past and we have not taken it into consideration now,” said Meregalli.
Vinales will be praying for dry three dry flyaway races in the upcoming weeks as his performances this season in the wet have been less than useful. Aside from Misano, Vinales has struggled with electronic setup and finding grip on a wet track. It is more than possible that Motegi and Phillip Island will be hit with rain at some point over the weekend, while at Sepang it is almost certain - usually early afternoon every day.
Meregalli believes that Motegi is not Vinales’ last shot at clinging to a title chance as the Spaniard was fastest in testing in both Australia and Malaysia at the start of the season. However, Ducati and Honda have moved the game on while Yamaha have been left behind a little, even with the 2018-spec frame both riders are using.
