Qatar GP – Viñales (6th): "We followed the direction I wanted"

More than his sixth place at the finish of the 2018 Qatar GP, Maverick Viñales wants to retain his spectacular recovery and the sensations found on his official M1. The Spaniard even believes that with a better start, victory was possible … Debriefing.

Maverick Vinales, Yamaha-Movistar (12th in qualifying and 6th in race): “During today’s race I felt really good with the bike, better than I had before. We followed the direction I wanted on the bike and we improved a lot, especially in terms of rhythm ".

• Qatar GP :
• Qatar GP :
• MNC report : 

"Now that we have achieved this, we have a good base and we can focus on other areas for improvement. Regarding my start, honestly I did not do a lot of test starts during the offseason because I was focused on the bike. Result: my start was very bad ".

"We found a good setup, but we can still improve it and in particular adapt the electronics to my riding style. We can also work on the starts! When you finish a race this way, you would like the next to start. the following weekend … I feel that if I could have been ahead today, I would have had a chance to win the race ".

• Qatar GP :
• Qatar GP :
• Qatar GP :
• Qatar GP :

Site analysis: In 2017, for his first Grand Prix in Yamaha colors, Maverick Viñales won the opening race in Qatar ahead of Andrea Dovizioso after starting from pole position. A year later, on the same circuit, the Spaniard appeared in 20th place in free practice 3 (!), Laboriously qualified 12th and finished 6th at 3.888 seconds…

And yet, Valentino Rossi’s teammate – until 2020, since they have signed for two more seasons! – displays unfeigned satisfaction at the end of the race: "Mack" would have finally put the glove on a base at his convenience, thanks to which he was able to indulge in an astounding rise from 14th place – from first to fourth lap – to the 6th on arrival.

• MNC of March 15, 2018 : 

"We found something positive for my riding style and that’s perfect!" Said Viñales outright, who would have insisted that his team harden their fork in order to gain confidence. Good pick according to the Spaniard, who believes he feels better on his M1 than during the last six months. We’ll talk about it in six months ?!

In any case, this adjustment desired by the Spanish resulted in increasingly faster lap times, with a best lap in 1’55.450 just 2 tenths of the reference set by Dovizioso in 1’55.242. If Viñales had dropped below 1’56 more quickly, he would indeed have been able to run for the outposts….

But the 23-year-old rider completed six long laps before descending into this window of performance, where Zarco, Rossi, Marquez and Dovizioso had sailed for a long time, but also Petrucci and Cructhlow! Too late, therefore, to be able to join them and beat them … Jorge Lorenzo did the same type of – long – increase in pace, before .

This end of the race at a good pace nevertheless gave wings to Maverick Viñales, who was impatient to put "his" method to the test. And why not return to this victory which has eluded him for ten months already (!), During his victorious duel against Rossi at the ?

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