There was a time, anchored in the world before, when Yamaha delighted in arriving at the Mugello track. The M1 was at ease there and its leader Valentino Rossi was in attendance at his home. Then Jorge Lorenzo took over. But since 2016, it's a different story. The Ducatis occupy land on which they train. So what can the Iwata brand hope for this weekend? And in particular with a Maverick Viñales who arrives with a new status: that of dad?
Maverick Vinales has been a different man for a few days since he is now the father of little Nina. Will this fatherhood chase away his demons that make him go from the best to the worst with almost no intermediate steps? To have. His approach to the Tuscan deadline is laconic to say the least: “ I really like Mugello. This is one of my favorite routes on the calendar. I usually drive very fast there. It’s a circuit that has a little bit of everything ».
The Spaniard was on the podium three times in Mugello in smaller categories: third in the 125cc race in 2011, a victory in Moto3 in 2012 from pole position, and third in Moto3 in 2013. In 2015 he finished seventh, which was his best result of the first six races of his rookie season in MotoGP.
In 2016, he qualified second, matching his best qualification of the season. He encountered an electronic problem early in the race and dropped to 11th place, but fought back to take sixth place. In 2017, he crossed the line in second position after qualifying on pole position for the third time in the premier class.
In 2018, he qualified third, dropped to 11th on the first lap and finished the race in eighth. Finally, in 2019 he qualified in seventh position, which was the second time he did not start from the front row in MotoGP at Mugello, and finished the race in sixth position as a rider Yamaha best placed.
Yamaha had its golden age at Mugello
Yamaha, in fact, experienced a golden age in Mugello. The brand has collected twelve victories. Seven were registered by Valentino Rossi, which even claims five in a row from 2004 to 2008. Then five others are the prerogative of Jorge Lorenzo in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016. Since then, nothing.
The Yamaha team director, Massimo Meregalli, thus evaluates the form of his troops: “ although it is still a very special event, we will miss the fans who make the atmosphere of the Italian Grand Prix so unique. Regardless of the stands being unusually quiet, we head into this weekend with every intention of giving fans a good show on television. In reality, we still expect a tough race. We know that the level of all drivers and teams will be high. However, we plan to use certain sections of the route that suit our bike best. We want to fight for the podium ».
Yamaha has achieved three victories after five races this season. One was registered by Maverick Vinales during the opening of hostilities in Qatar. Then the Spaniard fell into line to the point of finishing in fifth place in the general classification with 56 points, or 24 less than the leader who is none other than his teammate…
