RiderTua.com – After performing brilliantly at the American GP two weeks ago, high standards were set for Maverick Vinales. Inevitably, the Aprilia factory rider is also considered one of the favorites to win the MotoGP world title this season. Of course his fans also want to see his heroics at his home race in Jerez this season.
In Friday’s practice session on a dry track, Vinales managed to take 3rd and 2nd place and looks capable of continuing his success in Austin. But the rain that fell on Saturday did not bring him any blessings. Only 11th in qualifying and a slip during the Jerez sprint, where the track still had some damp sections. This is a very disappointing result.
Maverick Vinales sounds the ‘alarm’ for the Aprilia manufacturer because it must immediately find a solution
Maverick Vinales said, “We started the weekend very well. But we lacked experience in those conditions. Qualifying was very important, but we didn’t go as fast as the others and I couldn’t push myself to the maximum.”
Even though the track was dry again on Sunday afternoon, Vinales was unable to push in the main race of the Spanish GP. While Pecco Bagnaia (Ducati), who started from the third row, drove forward like a rocket and took the lead on the first lap, Vinales, who started from the fourth row, had difficulty getting ahead.
Aleix Espargaro’s teammate (crashed in the sprint and main race) was only 12th after one lap and was caught in a midfield battle for a relatively long time. After 10 laps he was finally able to overtake Raul Fernandez and Jack Miller, then inherited another position after Jorge Martin crashed. Even so, the 29 year old rider was only able to finish in 9th place, 11.217 seconds behind winner Francesco Bagnaia.
Vinales said that if he could start, say in 5th position then he would have a chance to get on the podium. “But starting from 11th position on the grid I clearly lost. Because when I was going, I could barely maintain my position. It was impossible to keep up and attack at the start,” explained the Spanish rider.
Vinales emphasized that he raised the alarm at the Aprilia factory because they really had to find a solution to this problem. Further ahead, he could match the 1:37 minutes of the leading group. They were 1 second too slow in midfield.
At the moment, if Vinales is frustrated with his race he isn’t showing it. Since starting racing for Aprilia, he has kept his anger in check and is careful to always maintain an overall positive balance when criticizing the manufacturer.
“We have improved starting behavior significantly since last year. But that alone is not enough,” added Vinales.
And when asked what he had planned for the test on Monday? The rider, who is currently ranked 5th in the standings, noted that the rear wheel has a bit of a problem when braking hard and that more traction is needed in this area, especially when it comes to stop-and-go tracks like Le Mans (the next series is in two weeks). . “But overall, I feel very good,” he concluded.
