Officially Official: Maverick Viñales to Movistar Yamaha

Since we already reported earlier this week that Maverick Viñales had signed a two-year deal with Yamaha Racing, riding alongside Valentino Rossi in the Movistar Yamaha team for 2017 and 2018, we won’t rehash the details again for you.

Instead, for those who doubted the initial report, this post is merely a note in the official record that Yamaha has now officially confirmed the addition of Viñales to its factory MotoGP, just ahead of the Italian GP in Mugello. Officially.

Together with the contract-signing news of Valentino Rossi, Jorge Lorenzo, Dani Pedrosa, Andrea Dovizioso, and Andrea Iannone, this confirmation solidifies most of the silly season rumors for the top factory teams in the MotoGP Championship.

All the remains is to hear whether Suzuki Racing will retain Aleix Espargaro, though it is widely believed the Spaniard will continue with the ECSTAR Suzuki team.

Spots also still remain with the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 and the KTM factory team, with the Aprilia Racing lineup uncertain for next season as well. More info on those movements, as we get them.