Maverick Vinales dreamed of a one-two at Losail, but instead had to console himself with a fifth place finish with a bittersweet aftertaste. This time there was nothing for the Yamaha rider to suffer a setback against the Ducati Pramacs and the Suzuki of Rins.
Regret was therefore visible on his face as the Yamaha is very far away compared to the one seen in 2020.
“It’s a shame, because with a good start the race would have been different – he began – There are no excuses, I have to do better, because today I could certainly have achieved more. Unfortunately, the start punished me. I got off to a bad start and found myself back. All I had to do was get off to a normal start to keep in touch with the leading group, but things didn’t go as I had hoped. “
This is the number 12’s biggest regret of the race …
“I’m upset with how I started when I took risks in the last part. Unfortunately, I left the assembly line late at the beginning and the bike rolled too. That’s why I have to try to take a step forward for the next races, because the bike has great potential. I had confirmation of that today, shortly after the start I was able to be fast and have pace, come up again and approach the podium. “
However, the glass is half full …
“We are only at the beginning of this season and come from two races that were held on the same track. So we have to stay calm.” Compared to last year, the bike sure seems more competitive and this is an encouraging aspect. So I’ll try to improve and get more competitive at the next GP. “
The appointment is in Portugal in two weeks …
“I am convinced that in Portimao we will not see races like here in Qatar, where there are constant overtaking and cross-overtaking. There we will see races that are closer to reality, even if the GPs here in Qatar were certainly exciting for the fans back home. The fact is that with so much overtaking it becomes exhausting for a driver. “
One final comment on Miller and Me.
“To be honest, I haven’t seen anything. When I race, I focus on myself.”