Mission accomplished ! By starting from 11th position following a failed qualification on a wet track, Maverick Vinales could hardly hope to reach the finish line in a better position than the fourth place he obtained at this German Grand Prix.
Even allowing himself to overtake his teammate who had started ninth on the starting grid, the Yamaha rider saved the furniture and his position in the championship.
When he goes on summer vacation, it is this subject that seems to occupy his mind, as evidenced by his analysis of the first half of the season.
Maverick Vinales : “I’m really confident for the championship. Starting from 11th eleventh place and finally arriving P4 losing a lot of time to overtake drivers, I was still quite close to Dani, which meant we really did a good job throughout the race. My impressions of the race are good, we did a good job to recover the maximum number of positions, arriving today fourth. We're quite happy, we know we always have to improve the bike, but overall it was pretty good. After Assen, being in second place (in the championship) is positive, but compared to after Mugello, it is not so positive since we had created a gap in the standings. We suffered a lot in Montmelo and made a mistake in Assen, but overall it's quite good, because even with the mistakes we are still in the leading group. To continue like this, we need to work a little harder, especially in qualifying, and prepare better for the race. It’s up to us to try to progress. I will try to improve my riding style and come back stronger and sharper, so a month break will be good. »
Massimo Magali : “We knew today's race at Sachsenring was going to be difficult, but we were ready for the challenge. Although the skies once again appeared threatening at the start of the race, we were relatively certain that it was going to be a dry race, which was the conditions our drivers preferred to complete today's 30 laps. Our goal was to take as many points as possible and both drivers stayed true to their goals. Maverick and Vale both had a good race, and did everything possible to score important points for the championship, as the standings are very tight. Maverick did a good job, especially during the second half of the race, as he moved up from eleventh to fourth. Valentino started the race really well but unfortunately, by the time he was in fourth place, the three drivers in front were already too far behind. He did everything he could to defend his position for as long as possible against numerous opponents, and eventually took big points.
The first half of the season was very exciting, with close battles, involving many drivers and manufacturers. With the hard work of the team and drivers, we have so far achieved four victories and eight podiums. Now we are looking forward to the summer vacation. For the next four weeks we will recharge our batteries before continuing the battle for the championship in the Czech Republic. »
German Grand Prix results:
1. Marc Marquez ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 40m 59.525s
2. Jonas Folger GER Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 41m 2.835s
3. Dani Pedrosa ESP Repsol Honda Team (RC213V) 41m 11.071s
4. Maverick Vinales ESP Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 41m 13.778s
5. Valentino Rossi ITA Movistar Yamaha MotoGP (YZR-M1) 41m 14.505s
6. Alvaro Bautista ESP Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP16) 41m 16.059s
7. Aleix Espargaro ESP Factory Aprilia Gresini (RS-GP) 41m 19.261s
8. Andrea Dovizioso ITA Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 41m 19.713s
9. Johann Zarco FRA Monster Yamaha Tech 3 (YZR-M1)* 41m 20.663s
10. Cal Crutchlow GBR LCR Honda (RC213V) 41m 23.735s
11. Jorge Lorenzo ESP Ducati Team (Desmosedici GP17) 41m 25.184s
12. Danilo Petrucci ITA Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP17) 41m 31.065s
13. Pol Espargaro ESP Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 41m 31.704s
14. Bradley Smith GBR Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 41m 35.978s
15. Jack Miller AUS Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 41m 37.296s
16. Mika Kallio FIN Red Bull KTM Factory Racing (RC16) 41m 37.377s
17. Karel Abraham CZE Pull&Bear Aspar Team (Desmosedici GP15) 41m 38.848s
18. Tito Rabat ESP Estrella Galicia 0,0 Marc VDS (RC213V) 41m 40.715s
19. Loris Baz FRA Reale Avintia Racing (Desmosedici GP15) 41m 59.375s
20. Scott Redding GBR Octo Pramac Racing (Desmosedici GP16) 42m 1.189s
21. Alex Rins ESP Team Suzuki Ecstar (GSX-RR)* 42m 1.220s
Provisional ranking of the World Championship:
1 Marc MARQUEZ-Honda 129 points
2 Maverick VIÑALES-Yamaha 124
3 Andrea DOVIZIOSO-Ducati 123
4 Valentino ROSSI-Yamaha 119
5 Dani PEDROSA-Honda 103
6 Johann ZARCO-Yamaha 84
7 Jonas FOLGER-Yamaha 71
8 Danilo PETRUCCI-Ducati 66
9 Jorge LORENZO-Ducati 65
10 Cal CRUTCHLOW-Honda 64
11 Alvaro BAUTISTA-Ducati 44
12 Jack MILLER-Honda 41
13 Scott REDDING-Ducati 33
14 Aleix ESPARGARO-Aprilia 32
15 Loris BAZ-Ducati 31
16 Andrea IANNONE 28
17 Tito RABAT 23
18 Hector BARBERA 21
19 Karel ABRAHAM 20
20 Pol ESPARGARO 14
21 Bradley SMITH 8
22 Alex RINS 7
23 Michele PIRRO 7
24 Sam LOWES 2
25 Sylvain GUINTOLI 1
