MotoGP | Vinales smiles: “It's my best moment with Aprilia”

For Mavericks Vinales the season did not start as he had expected, with a ninth place in the Qatar Sprint, capped by a tenth place in Sunday's race. But things changed in the second round of the MotoGP season calendar, three weeks ago in Portugal.

There the boy from Costa Brava transformed into a fast and consistent driver, capable of achieving his first victory in the Sprint on Saturday, something he had never achieved last season. And if this was the bombshell news, on Sunday he arrived at the final lap of the race in second place, close behind the winner Jorge Martin, but a problem with the gearbox of his Aprilia left him stranded and caused him to fall at the start of the final lap . “Human error,” he said.

On Friday, on the first day of the Americas Grand Prix, Maverick maintained the good tone and speed of Portimao, finishing with the second time just a few thousandths behind Martin.

“I'm having fun, it's a circuit that I like and it's going well,” said the smiling Aprilia rider. “I can improve in sectors 3 and 4, and this will be the priority for tomorrow,” he warned his rivals.

After the mistake that led to the bike's gearbox breaking in Portugal, now it's time to cheer up the team in the garage.

“I'm very proud of the work done by the team; this doesn't come from here, but from Portimao. We still need to fine-tune the engine braking and I need to be a little more aggressive,” he said.

Without a doubt, Maverick is going through a moment of great form, probably the best since he arrived in Aprilia two years ago. “This is definitely my best moment with Aprilia. We have found a basis that works very well”, he said with satisfaction.

Although the soft compound seems to be the right one for this circuit for both the short race on Saturday and the long race on Sunday, Maverick is hesitant. “Both compounds work for us, so it will be difficult to make a decision,” he said.

In the end he was satisfied with the starting tests carried out after FP1. “I think I made my best start with the Aprilia today. I think that now, at least, we won't lose positions on the starting grid. We'll see if we can gain a few positions further on,” said a more focused and happy Maverick. “I'm relaxed,” said the Roses rider