A difficult day for the Yamaha riders. Maverick Viñales is currently the last of the ten to move straight into the second quarter thanks to the time he was given in the morning in tomorrow’s qualifying. Despite his bad tests, the Spanish driver is happy that he found the right tires for the race pace. Yamaha’s problems are always the same: braking and grip. When these are resolved, Viñales claims that they will have an incredible feat.
“To be honest, the day went well for me. It was good because we tried a few things. We definitely have to work on the brakeseven though I actually felt an improvement. Now we need to focus on the handle. In the morning we fitted the hard rear tire and had absolutely no grip, so we have to improve this aspect as well. In the afternoon the pace was good with the middle tires, then we tried the soft ones and I don’t know why, but it still didn’t work outSo I couldn’t have a great time. We will definitely work more tomorrow, but we will always go in the same direction to improve. At the moment we lack grip with worn tires. ”
Maverick has a very specific destination for Valencia.
“We worked on the rear suspension and the setup of the rear wheel. We try to brake late and still be able to stop the bike. It is my mission here in Valencia. This morning we worked with the aim of building confidence in the bike. We tried different scales on the bike and that helped me a lot because my trust in the Yamaha actually increased. Still, we still have a lot to do to be quick in the race. “
# 12 is very sure of the issues affecting the M1’s performance and is determined to solve them in no time. What is missing most is the feeling.
“I’ve been with Yamaha for three years now. The work we do now is completely different from what we did before. The main thing we need to commit to is trust because when you have it with this bike you can do amazing things. Right now I’m focusing on finding it. The point where the bike needs to improve is undoubtedly when it comes to braking. When I follow other drivers, I notice that we really lose a lot. The situation degenerated after MisanÖ. If you don’t have a handle, make a difference by working with the front. We are focused. I don’t know if tomorrow will be better, but we have to insist and work on different aspects. Anyway, I am happy even if the bike was slow because I fitted the right tire in the morning, otherwise I would never have reached that time. “
Although the current season has not gone as he hoped it would, The Spanish rider is focused on 2021 with the goal of becoming world champion.
“As everyone knows, we don’t have an incredible feeling. We lost it. When I was on the soft tires today it was really difficult and I don’t understand the problem. We should do a great job for these races and take the opportunity to try new things on the remaining weekends to try for the next year. In 2021 we will fight for victory, or at least, as far as I’m concerned, fight for the title. To do this, we have to improve because our rivals will too. So we have to make the most of these last two races. “
Audio recorded by: Nicole Facelli