Maverick Viñales can really breathe a sigh of relief after what happened at the Red Bull Ring. In fact, from a statistical point of view, it is almost impossible that another bad accident will happen to him in the next few months, as he has risked a lot at least twice in just seven days. In the first episode, he was barely missed by Zarco and Morbidelli’s motorcycles. In the second it was his M1 that betrayed him and left him unrestrained.
Talk to the microphones of Then Cero’s transistor radio program, however, the Yamaha rider wanted to clarify the dynamics of this second accident and also took a great responsibility for not making a pit stop decision when the situation got more complicated.
“In Austria we destroyed everything we could! – Joked Vinales – Those were two absurd weekends. There is a risk in motorcycling, we know that and I am really happy to have gotten away with no injuries or injuries. These things happen, I know”.
Vinales used his radio appearance for a profound mea culpa …
“It was all my fault. I didn’t want to give up, I kept going until the brakes left meIn the end there were no pads, they had come off and I was left without brakes. I should have stopped earlier. I wanted to get a few points to catch up in the overall standings “.
On one point, however, Vinales wanted to reiterate that he denied allegations of not being responsible – present excessive risks to the other drivers if he has chosen not to enter immediately.
“When I realized I was having braking problems, I raised my hand to let the other drivers go by. I was behind Dovizioso and let go of him, then Valentino and Quartararo came and the bike started to brake again, but when it started bothering me again I let them go. I would never endanger anyone. “
The Yamaha rider also explained his decision to stick with the caliper he had used before. without switching to the new model, as Brembo had recommended.
“I used the same system last weekend and it was perfect. I did a lot of laps behind other drivers and had no problems. Then I fitted the new brake calipers and in free practice I had problems, they worked well in some corners and when I reached downhill corner 4, I often found myself with little braking. They seemed unreliable and that’s a big problem from a driver’s point of view. So I stayed with the old calipers and they worked very well, it was very hot in the FP4 and the brakes never gave me any problems. They only betrayed me in the race. “
The moment when Vinales had the coolness to throw himself off his bike at over 220 km / h will be remembered by the fans …
“I didn’t even have time to think I heard a bang, as if a piece had fallen off the bike. Then I said to myself ‘you have to throw yourself off’. I burned my back a bit, but that’s all, I was lucky “.
The destroyed bicycle is an additional problem for Vinales, who has already used almost all engines for the 2020 season …
“When I saw the red flag I thought I was going to try to recover the bike to pits. It burned but I tried to grab the handlebars to pull it up and saw the front was no longer there. ” . I immediately thought “the engine!” I could not believe it. They will try to save everything from this bike. If the frame is not bent, they will restore it, however What really worries me is the engine. “
The season will not be affected, but it will certainly be a steep climb for the championship now …
“I have to keep believing it. It’s better to make mistakes now than at the end of the year, I’m sure we will have good chances. Misano is a track that I love. I think the most important thing is to be convinced that we can win. We knew very well that Brno and the Red Bull Ring would not be an easy track for us, but they are behind us and now there are tracks where we can start having fun “.