Maverick Viñales started this Grand Prix of the Americas on a high with a second time in FP1 meaning that he would not leave the spotlight at Aprilia to his teammate Aleix Espargaró, still crowned by his resounding victory in Argentina. Seventh in FP2, he missed the mark in Q2 by falling from 13th place in FP3. Qualified 14th, he got back into the rhythm in the warm-up which he completely dominated. And in the race? He has some regrets...
That being said, if his objective in Austin was to beat his stablemate, it was accomplished with this top 10 snatched from the hands ofAleix Espargaro a few turns from the finish… Tenth, 12,6 seconds behind the winner Enea Bastianini on his Ducati, the Spaniard is convinced that with a better result in qualifying, he could have obtained a much better place in the race.
After the race, the factory driver Aprilia highlighted : " I felt even better with the bike this weekend, but it was still difficult. Saturday was particularly busy for us. On Sunday we had a good pace and we were fast. We could have made a top 3 ».
Maverick Vinales: “I see myself at the top, it’s very important"
« We must continue to work, implement what we have learned and continue to build our framework », asserts the Top Gun. “ We are on the right path. Our motivation is very high and every race I finish makes me better. I am becoming more and more involved with the motorcycle. I see myself at the top, it's very important ».
In the ranking of manufacturers, Aprilia is fourth with 51 points, Ducati leads with 86 points. In the team world championship, Aprilia Racing even took third place, only the Suzuki Ecstar and Red Bull KTM teams have more points on their record. In the overall World Championship standings, the 27-year-old is 14th after four of 21 races.
Results of the MotoGP Grand Prix of the Americas at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
