Lopez‘ abandon is strange, and I would really be interested what made him abandon.
If Movistar really told him not to chase, that could be the only explanation why he was frustrated.
He normally has a rather weak time trial at the end of a GT, so his podium place would have been endangered tomorrow, anyways…
I hope Movistar and Lopez himself will release statements soon, although this clearly is a lose-lose situation for both.
Let‘s wait for tomorrow, but it seems Lopez‘ victory on Thursday will remain Movistar‘s only GT stage victory in 2021. Furthermore, it looks like Mas will finish on Vuelta‘s podium, so it was a good Vuelta for the team. I think Movistar and Lopez will have time to talk after the Vuelta.
In general, Lopez was successful in 2021, and has finished Giro and Vuelta on the podium already, was sixth in the Tour, has a nice palmares, and is still not too old to improve.
I think Movistar‘s future with Lopez should look bright, but both sides should avoid the mistake/-s they did today, whatever it was.
These races, however, sometimes demand quick decisions, and mistakes cannot be avoided completely.
If it is really the case that Lopez thought, „Podium is lost, and I‘m not interested in a Top 10 final spot“, then it‘s really strange. Bernal, for example, won a TdF and a Giro, and still seems content to finish this Vuelta somewhere mid-Top 10. Maybe Lopez had other expectations, „Podium or nothing“, for example. He‘s a champion, and maybe that today was part of his mentality - who knows…