Who is the boss? It's Maverick. In four test sessions, he climbed to the top four times by setting the best time, from last November 16 when he discovered the Yamaha in Valencia, to the preliminary tests of the Qatar GP, via Sepang and Phillip Island. With this impressive “full cardboard”, he plays the role of the hawk ready to swoop on his prey. Falconry is an ancient tradition in the Arabian Peninsula where Doha is located…
Valentino Rossi, his new equipment, is not a wild rabbit, nor Jorge Lorenzo an innocent dove, and Marc Marquez is not an easy pigeon to catch. Vinales' opponents know that if he achieved the best times on one lap, it could be different over the entire duration of a race.
Maverick's best result in MotoGP in Doha was fifth place in 2015. In Moto3, he won there in 2012, before finishing second the following year.
Yamaha for its part explains the new colors which appear on the Vinales and Rossi fairings by a different distribution of the budget. Previously, the factory in Japan supported MotoGP, and Yamaha Europe the Superbike World Championship. Now, Japan has shifted part of the expenses to its PT subsidiaries. Yamaha Indonesia Motor Mfg. (YIMM), Yamaha Motor Vietnam Co., Ltd. (YMVN) and Yamaha Motor Philippines Inc. (YMPH). For the moment, these three subsidiaries do not yet have a say in the choice of drivers. But the more their participation increases in the overall budget, the more this will be the case. When will there be a rider from one of these three countries in MotoGP? We will already find on the fairings for YIMM “Semakin Di Depan” and for YMVN “Go Beyond”.
Vinales comes not only strong because of his four best winter times, but also because Yamaha won last year (with Lorenzo) with pole and the best race time. “ I'm very happy that the first Grand Prix is finally here, especially after the winter testing was so positive for us, he comments. I am really motivated to start this new era. After this incredible pre-season, we can't wait to finally start racing and working hard for the 18 races ahead. I am very curious to see how the Yamaha will perform in a race and to see if we will be as strong during the race as during the test. I'm so excited to get started! »
According to Team Director, Massimo Meregalli, “ After months of testing, this first race is something we've all been waiting for. We will finally begin the 2017 championship, which promises to be a spectacle thanks to the field of drivers and the diversity of manufacturers competing at the top. After our last test at the Losail International Circuit a fortnight ago, we were even more excited to start the season. Maverick and Vale are incredibly motivated and in great physical shape. As always, the first race of the season will be particularly revealing. It will be essential to start the Championship well and it will be very interesting to see where we find ourselves in a head-to-head fight with our competitors. We are confident that we will be able to give Yamaha fans a good opening show. »
