Maverick Vinales took on the role of official Aprilia driver for the first time today and attended the press conference prior to the Aragon Grand Prix wearing the Noale manufacturer’s colors. It’s a big change that is obviously the focus of attention this weekend, with expectations that have definitely risen after the first positive test of ‘Top Gun’ at Misano at the RS-GP.
In some ways, you might even think that the pressure on the driver’s shoulders is too great, but he seems absolutely determined to turn it into determination and a desire to show his full potential. At Yamaha he was successful at times, the hope is that in Aprilia he will find the environment he needs to express himself in the best possible way. We can say that the pairing Vinales-Aprilia is really the focus of all attention, since during the conference none of the journalists asked the other participants a single question about what makes Vinales and Espargarò the absolute protagonists on this eve of the Aragon weekend.
“I am more than excited, I am very hungry and very motivated to start this story with Aprilia.” said a smiling Vinales – Right now these six races are just a gift to prepare much better for next year so our priority is just to learn. Sure, it’s completely different, so I have to learn a lot, I have to learn quickly. “
Arriving here in Aprilia after the Aleix podium at Silverstone is raising expectations …
“Aleix’s podium just kindled a lot of fire in me because we just want to push. Seeing it go so fast gave me extra motivation. I’ve been away for a while but I feel very positive to be here for a race weekend experience as an Aprilia driver and we just have to learn. That is our main priority. “
Now that you’ve tested it, can you tell us what the main differences are between the Aprilia and the Yamaha?
“Difficult to say because in reality I didn’t have much time for an in-depth analysis. I just thought of adapting to the bike with lots of laps to better understand how it all works. The way the bike accelerates is very different, There is a long way to go to learn everything. “
There have been so many changes for you in a short period of time. Was it stressful or difficult?
“I think more than difficult, it was a relief for me because I honestly had to do something different because I was in a block moment. I had to develop myself further and improve myself, that was the occasion and also the opportunity. Once i did the test i wanted to ride i felt good on the bike, I felt pretty fast and during the race weekend I had the feeling that there was room for improvement. So there was no reason to stay home. It’s important to me to gain experience in these races and to work hard to better adapt to this bike. “
How important was Aleix in convincing you to join the Aprilia family?
“Aleix was important, but I don’t think it was because he insisted that the bike was competitive or something. We’ve trained together a lot, we’ve talked about a lot of things over the past few months. I’ve had more fun talking to him about where we could go with this Aprilia project than where it is right now. That really convinced me. “
Did you ever think that it would definitely be possible to end the season with Yamaha?
“To be honest, it all happened so quickly, so I don’t want to talk about the rest or the others. I want to talk about Aprilia because ultimately, I’m here to learn, gain experience, and most importantly, learn and improve. The two days in Misano were great, I took a lot of weight off my bike because I was just riding and enjoying and I was already ready to ride in Aragon. I’m very motivated and passionate about MotoGP, so I can’t wait to get on my bike in the morning. “
Do you think there can be someone coming to Aprilia in the future who was with you at Yamaha, like Julian Simon, who was the driver trainer?
“At the moment I am not thinking of bringing someone from Yamaha. This is Matteo Baiocco who is already doing a great job at Aleix. Now I don’t think about it at all, I just want to learn how to ride a bike and understand how the team works. “
Your father hinted that if you hadn’t had a chance in MotoGP, you would have raced in the SBK. It is true?
“No, I never thought about racing in the SBK, not even just for one race, because my goal was always different. My goal was to race in Aragon with Aprilia, the team that I was also up to the route will be in 2022. I wanted to be here and we made it, now we can work together on the future ”.