MotoGP | Vinales: “Now I can exploit the Aprilia's strengths”

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a literary comparison that fits Maverick Vinales perfectly, especially if you look at the first two weekends of the 2024 MotoGP season. The Aprilia rider struggled a lot in Qatar, to the point that there was already talk of a rider with a future at risk with all the market rumors going crazy in the paddock.

However, the music changed completely once we arrived in Portimao, where the Spaniard treated himself to an unforgettable Saturday, which not even the gastroenteritis that had been tormenting him for a few days could ruin. Before him he placed his RS-GP in second position on the starting grid, then he took the success in the Sprint of the Portuguese Grand Prix with authority. His first since wearing the colors of the Noale manufacturer, which is also a piece of history seen in the MotoGP era, no one had ever won with three different brands and he had already done so previously with Suzuki and Yamaha.

“It was difficult for me to adapt to the new bike from the first day of testing, especially due to the setting I had. In Qatar we tried many things, but we didn't have much time to work and the race was difficult”, said Vinales when he spoke to Sky Sport MotoGP after his triumph, starting from his ups and downs.

“Here we found a good change in the setting, I feel a little better and I can exploit the bike's strengths much better. We still need to improve something, but the guys did an incredible job, so I'm looking forward to start again tomorrow and continue to grow. But in the meantime let's enjoy this victory, because it is my first with Aprilia. I'm really happy”, he added.

In the second part of the race, the feeling was that his RS-GP was the best bike among those in the top positions and it was a pleasure to see him ride it: “I think we are at an excellent level, but we still have to improve something. It's a question of finding a set-up that always works the same, because I'm a bit sensitive from that point of view, but I believe that the boys have the situation well enough in hand and that from here on out we'll be as strong as today.”

When he was then asked how to explain the fact that he and Aleix Espargaro are both unable to be competitive for the moment, given that his teammate is struggling in the Algarve, he concluded: “In Qatar there was so much grip that it made it difficult understand the bike, there was a strange balance between the front and rear and I couldn't be fast. Here everything is back to normal and I can push much harder. However we are managing to work well with the data we have disposition, so we believe in it a lot.”