MotoGP | Vinales: “When you feel like the bike is yours, everything is different”

If there is one thing that can best describe the career of Maverick Vinales, it is roller coasters. No one has ever doubted the Aprilia rider's great talent, but he has too often experienced ups and downs. The biggest news of the last period, therefore, is the consistency with which the Spaniard is putting himself forward at the top of MotoGP.

The victory in the Portimao Sprint, which was followed by a great race, ruined only by the gearbox breaking one lap from the end, did not remain an isolated case. In Austin, Maverick had a practically perfect Saturday: first he signed the pole position, complete with a track record that was literally shattered, then he commanded the Sprint from start to finish, with an unsustainable pace for all the others, who closed over two seconds behind his RS-GP.

As soon as he arrived at parc fermé, therefore, he could not help but express all his satisfaction for a day to remember: “I'm dreaming! I want to continue like this, because our level was extraordinary today, so I want to congratulate all the boys of the 'Aprilia, because we deserve it.”

Once he spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP, Vinales then explained that this evolution comes from afar, more specifically from the final part of 2023, when he finally found a basic set-up that allows him to make the most of his racing style. driving on the motorbike of Noale.

“The change started in Qatar last year, when my technical chief and my telemetrist found the balance I need to be fast with this bike, making the most of my riding style. From there, we made the pole in Valencia, but then we were always in front”, explained Vinales.

“This consistency is making us believe even more in our project and I had already said that with the victory in the Portimao Sprint I took a weight off my shoulders. It's not that I'm more serene, but it's obvious that the more you feel the bike Everything is different with you, you are more convinced. This is thanks to the great work we have done in the garage and I am very happy”, he added.

Another key moment of his success was the start, which finally no longer seems to be a weak point for him as it was in the past: “Now all the Aprilias start quite well, even if perhaps we are still missing a little step that will arrive. We worked on the clutch during the winter, because we know that in today's MotoGP if you start from the front you can make a great race. The objective therefore must be to qualify on the front row and then start well. Once you've done that, you can do anything.”

For tomorrow's long race there is a problem to resolve, the choice of rear tyre: “The medium is a doubt, we still have to understand. The soft was still quite good in the end, because I could lap in 2'02″, but 20 laps is a really long time on this track, so we have to work tonight to understand what the best choice is for tomorrow.”