Source: Supplied.

A fighting third-place finish in the Michelin Australian Motorcycle Grand Prix for Maverick Vinales will see Suzuki’s factory MotoGP squad lose the benefit of its technical concessions following Phillip Island.

Manufacturers with concessions are permitted nine engines instead of seven, ongoing motor development and unlimited testing with its official riders, until six concession points are scored. The form of Vinales has now resulted in six.

Three points go toward the concession tally if a manufacturer wins, two points for second and one point for third. The four podiums of Vinales at Le Mans (third), Silverstone (first), Motegi (third) and Phillip Island (third) were enough to reach the six.

“This podium has a very good taste to it, the weekend had been very hard this morning, but finally I was happy when I woke up today and saw the sun,” Vinales said on Sunday. “We had very little time to finalise a set-up for the race, but finally the machine was very good to me and the tyre choice proved to be the right one, allowing me to recover and go for the third.

“I only had to be careful in the very early stages of the race because not having had the time to test the tyres I was not totally sure the front would support me, but after two or three laps I realised I could trust it.

“My pace was very good, at the end, I also thought I could catch up for second place, my pace was good enough to do it, but unfortunately I’d lost too much time in getting from sixth to third and the race was gone. Anyway, I’m really happy with the result, I want to thank my team because they did a very good job having such a short time to prepare.”

Suzuki’s unlimited testing will be removed immediately, while the engine restrictions will be put in place for 2017, meaning only Aprilia and incoming factory KTM will benefit from the concessions as of next season.