After the 2019 MotoGP™ provisional entry list was released today, there was a bit of a surprise; Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) switching from his familiar 25 to the number 12 in 2019.
So, why the change? Well, the man himself explained all after he finished P7 on Day 1 at the Gran Premio Motul de la Comunitat Valenciana: “When I was a kid I always used 12, or 100 in motocross,” began the Spaniard. “But, for many years, I wanted to change to 12 but I never felt the way to do it. But now I felt that I needed to do something different.”
That something different comes in the shape of a new crew chief and a new engine: “Next year there’s going to be a new engine, new crew chief, everything new. So, it was the time to change. New Maverick.” But, why has he had the number 25 on the front of his bike for all these years?
“The 25 was because I liked a Motocross rider,” muses Viñales. “I went to a category where 12 was already taken, so I went with 25. If 12 wasn’t taken, I would have gone with 12. I felt this was the moment to change. These have been the worst two years in the World Championship, so I want to change everything.”
And there you have it. A new Viñales coming in 2019, but will it bring more success for the 2013 Moto3™ World Champion?