Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales has signed a two-year contract extension with Yamaha through to the 2022 season, the Japanese team announced Tuesday.
Vinales, 25, finished third in the MotoGP world championship standings last year, equalling his best overall performance in 2017.
“Vinales has shown great riding, motivation, and consistency so far in his three years of racing with the Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Team,” the manufacturer said in a statement.
Read Also: Trump Finally Presenting His Middle East ‘Peace Plan’
He won races in the Netherlands and Malaysia while recording five other podium finishes in 2019, his fifth season in the premier class.
Vinales joined Yamaha from Suzuki ahead of the 2017 campaign and has won six times in 55 MotoGP starts for the team, with 19 podiums and nine pole positions.
“These achievements on top of his undeniable talent and unshakable determination have Yamaha fully confident in their partnership with the 25-year-old,” the statement added.
The 2020 season begins in Qatar on March 8 and runs through to mid-November with the finale at Valencia. Pre-season testing starts in Sepang, Malaysia, from February 7-9.
AFP