Not enough has been said about Maverick Vinales in the past few weeks. The Spaniard is indeed, now one of Marc Marquez’s main antagonists, and he was one of the most sought-after pieces on the market, until Yamaha came along.
“It wasn’t an easy decision because I had to sort things out with Yamahasaid Vinales.But after the summer I felt a lot of support of them that I converted into positivity and results. Now my team is in a good mood that I didn’t want to ruin. I enjoy driving for this team and that was one of the main reasons for my decision. “
It’s hard to say how effective the negotiations with Ducati have been because Maverick reiterated that he didn’t give it much thought.
“I wasn’t particularly involved in the negotiations. My closest co-workers thought about this while I was training for the season, and when the decision day came, I did. As I said, my team knows what I want. The past year has been helpful in this regard. Now I feel ready to fight for the title. I didn’t think of staying or leaving, just preparing as best I could. If Yamaha had wanted to take on another rider it wouldn’t have been a problem, but now I just want to give everything to win. “
You could see Vinales’ concentration when the name of his future teammate Quartararo was mentionedbut Maverick just ignored it. In doing so, he did not ignore the issue of responsibility, which the Yamaha Reiter is not afraid to face.
“I don’t know if I will put less pressure on myself in the garage without Valentino.”
“When I’m under pressure, I feel good. The problem is when I am not and I don’t feel valued. If Yamaha wants me to be responsible for development, that’s fine. I can be very precise with my explanations and I think I am on the right track in this regard. Quartararo’s arrival? Difficult to comment as I did not follow the situation. I think about myself and about improving my weak points. I don’t know if I will put less pressure on myself in the garage without Valentino. “
Speaking of the coming season, Maverick gave his opinion on the new Michelins and explained what his first goal will be.
“The new Michelins have more grip and help me drive fast on the first few laps. “
“I tried it in Barcelona last year and felt good. They suited my riding. I think it could be positive news for us, but a little bit for everyone as more grip is useful for everyone. It can also be useful for me in relation to the first few laps of the race. My goal is to be able to start first or second in every race, because when that happens I always have a chance to win. “
The Spaniard continues on this subject, affirming an aspect that has often punished him.
“It is difficult to overtake with the Yamaha. We have to improve at the start.”
“Yamaha is working to improve at the start as we are good at takeoff, but with Ducati and Honda we get worse in the later stages. Overtaking and gaining positions in the first few laps is difficult with our bike. We have to improve if we want to fight for the title. Obviously it won’t always be possible to start from the front row for various reasons, so we have to improve. “
After all, the first thing to think about is the tests that Vinales wants to use in every way.
“The most important thing for me is to prepare for Qatar. To be ahead in these tests is useless. It will be useful use the various test situations to prepare for the races, for example by preparing a set-up in case the grip drops, or being fast with a full tank in order to be fast in the first race. Working on each round will also be important, and When I feel ready I try a time attack too because being ahead would of course be positive. “