Viñales splits with Blusens Avintia team

Maverick Viñales has announced he won't compete in the final three races of the 2012 Moto3™ World Championship as he has decided to leave the Blusens Avintia team.

Currently second in the Championship, behind Sandro Cortese, and still with a remote but mathematical chance of fighting for the title, Viñales didn't take part in the first Moto3™ Free Practice session and eventually announced that he will not race for the remainder of the 2012 season, after a row with his Blusens Avintia team.

Viñales mentioned the worsening of his relationship with the team over the course of the season as he made repeated calls for better machinery in order to bolster his title bid.

Q. Maverick, we were quite surprised not to see you on track this morning, what's the situation?

A. We won't take part in the race as the team hasn't complied with the agreement we had.

Q. However you're under contract with the team...

A. Yeah, you can sign whatever you want, but when things just get worse and worse, you have to find solutions.

Q. What did you request for those last three races, what pushed you to make this decision?

A. Since halfway through the season, they haven't done all they could, I'm always giving my best - so I wanted to leave the team after those last three races and have a "clean" break-up, but they wouldn't agree so today I'm heading home.

Q. But the plan was to leave at the end of the season, not now...

A. Yeah, definitely - it's always better to finish in a good way but if they want to be difficult then we will be difficult too. I would have raced until the end of the season if they agreed to release me at the end of the year.

Q. Is it all about not getting the bike you wanted or because you felt you weren't supported by the team as much as you wished?

A. It's not that much about the support, but I think it's a second division team - I have to try and win the Championship next year and I don't think I could do it with this team, so that's why I took this decision.