Covid: Five Yamaha team members withdraw from Valencia

Yamaha's eventful Valencia MotoGP weekend has continued with official confirmation that one of Maverick Vinales' crew has tested positive for Covid.

That in turn means that four other team members, including team director Massimo Meregalli, have been put into self-isolation (despite testing negative) until after the end of the second of the back-to-back Valencia rounds.

However, Yamaha insists that Vinales is not at risk and able to continue, even though the staff won't be replaced.

The latest announcement follows Vinales' team-mate Valentino Rossi - absent from Aragon after contracting Covid - being forced to miss Friday practice at Valencia while awaiting two negative Covid tests, plus Yamaha being docked constructors' and teams' world championship points by the FIM Stewards for breaching the engine homologation rules.

Six Yamaha engineers were also forced to miss the Le Mans rounds due to self-isolation following a previously positive PCR test...

FIVE YAMAHA MOTOGP GROUP MEMBERS RETIRE FROM THE EUROPEAN AND VALENCIA GP

STATEMENT

Yamaha Motor Co., Ltd. and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP regret to announce that five staff members, including Team Director Massimo Meregalli, will be sitting out this weekend‘s Gran Premio de Europa and next week‘s Gran Premio Comunitat Valenciana.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

- The Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP group follow very strict Covid-19 protocols. By its own initiative, the group has a mandatory additional PCR done by all the members of staff, including the riders, every Friday during race weekends.

- In the afternoon of Friday 6th November, one of the team members working in Maverick Viñales‘ crew tested positive for Covid-19. He immediately left the Ricardo Tormo circuit and has started the self-isolation required by the MotoGP official protocol.

- After a thorough risk analysis, four additional team members, who tested negative on Friday 6th November but are deemed at risk of contagion, will go into quarantine until Monday 16th November.

- None of the five members will be replaced for the European GP. The four team members who tested negative, including Team Director Meregalli, will remain in close contact with the team at the Ricardo Tormo track to offer their best support to the staff present at the track.

- Due to the Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP team‘s strictness in adhering to Covid-19 precautionary measures both inside and outside the track, none of the other staff are deemed to be at risk, nor are riders Maverick Viñales and Valentino Rossi. That said, all members will increase their vigilance and increased PCR tests will be scheduled.

Despite the obvious inconveniences caused by this latest challenge, the team‘s racing endeavours will continue relying on the collaboration and positive spirit of the Yamaha MotoGP organisation