The ex-Yamaha rider made his official MotoGP debut in Aprilia colors in Aragon on Friday after completing a two-day test at the RS-GP in Misano two weeks ago.
Vinales finished Friday perhaps in 20th place overall from Aragon, but was only 1.142 seconds behind Ducati’s Jack Miller’s fastest time and made a lap time gain of over 1.4 seconds from FP1 to FP2.
He was happy with the progress he has made, but finds that the biggest problem for him right now is switching from riding an inline four-cylinder motorcycle like the Yamaha to the V4-powered Aprilia.
“I still brake too early, that is the main problem, I brake early because I was used to a different driving style, but we are getting a lot closer,” said Vinales.
“We got close at Misano and here I think we will get closer depending on the day and the training.
“At the moment, braking is the most difficult thing for me because the acceleration is really good.
“I keep checking the slide and that’s not a problem, but I have to get used to the braking area because it differs too much from what I’m used to.
“Overall it makes a difference in lap times, but I think we’ll be driving, doing laps and trusting the front more than anything else.”
When asked if the fact that he sometimes rode the Yamaha aggressively when entering corners, as is required with the Aprilia, was of any help as it wasn’t new to him, Vinales added, “No, it’s not new, i can use it but i still don’t have a lot of confidence.
“After only 35 laps on this track [where] it’s quick and I find it hard to adapt quickly in just 45 minutes [each session], 45 minutes and a time attack.
“It’s difficult, but I still think that we have now made good FP1 and FP2 and gathered the information.
“We also tried to improve on my side because I think we can do a lot better on my side.”
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Vinales also noted that he is struggling to put a lap together without making a mistake in any of the sectors, but he believes the fact that he is not giving his maximum at the moment is “important” as his ideal lap is strong .
“Everything is different, I have to get used to it,” he added.
“The hardest thing for me is to make the four sectors in a row, that’s the hardest part because I’ve tried to push in one direction and the other and keep making mistakes on all laps.
“At the moment I’m not driving my maximum and that’s important because at the end of the day we have a good ideal lap, a good rhythm and we have to keep paying attention because I think the key right now is to stay calm and to continue working, because we are far from the maximum.
“I think we do every workout well and that’s the way to improve over the weekend.”
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team Gresini
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images