Maverick Vinales is back at Misano, the track where he made his test debut for Aprilia two weeks ago. After the Aragon GP, this is the Spaniard’s second official outing with the RS-GP in a Grand Prix.
For his part, there is no lack of curiosity about what his competition will look like, but at the same time he expects a step forward compared to MotorLand, where he finished 18th, 27 seconds behind.
“I will face this round like in Aragon – he commented – I know what the situation is like and where you can improve. Ultimately, this is the path I have to go to improve myself and get to the top with the best, to find confidence and gain experience. Personally, I feel good on the bike and I want to try to learn and improve as this is my job and what Aprilia expects from me.
Misano is a track that Maverick has already raced in the RS-GP, so this test may not be as complicated as it is at MotorLand.
“I think I’ll be a little closer to the other drivers here in Misano and do better with the Aprilia every weekend. On Monday we’ll have the tests and earn miles.” It’s going to be an interesting and important test, even if I don’t have to test a lot of things right now because I can make mistakes. In fact, I have to focus on what I have in order to understand the Aprilia as well as possible and to adapt to it. In Aragon last week I tried to run conservatively, while here I will try to push harder when the opportunity presents itself. As I said, I have to learn, stay calm and keep working. This is my job “.
The Riviera Lap is like Aprilia’s home GP, so expectations are high.
“For me it will be a race like any other. For the manufacturer who is aiming for a good result, it will of course be something special. As for the track, I don’t think there is any particular area to focus on in order to improve. At the moment I just have to do as many laps as possible and understand the sensations ”.
The starting point at the Misano World Circuit is the Motorland weekend …
“I finished the Aragon lap uphill, completely different from how I started it. For example, the position on the bike. I started to follow one direction and then took a different path.”
One last consideration was given to his teammate …
“What is there to say about Aleix? He drives the bike fantastic and you can see his confidence. Right now it’s complicated to stand in front of him and I don’t think it’s realistic to do something like that. My priority is simply to have confidence, drive and gain experience. I don’t have to move forward frantically, because then there is a risk of making a mistake and going back. “