Maverick Viñales had a mixed weekend at the Japanese Grand Prix. While he showed great promise in qualifying, the race was much more difficult. An incident on the first lap and a crash put an early end to his hopes. However, the Spaniard remains determined to get back to winning ways. We will have to watch the next races closely to see if Aprilia can solve the problems with his bike.
Le Japanese Grand Prix 2024 did not live up to expectations for Maverick Vinales, who was forced to retire from the race after an already difficult start. Despite starting from the front row thanks to an exciting qualifying, the driver Aprilia quickly saw his podium hopes fade in the first few corners. Casa Particular in Viñales lost several positions from the first corner after contact with another competitor, immediately complicating his race. The misfortune continued when he ended up crashing on lap 12, ending his day.
« We have suffered In this match, it was difficult to defend myself from the opposing attacks., " said Casa Particular in Viñales, visibly disappointed. He adds: " I want to keep the feeling of qualifications, where we managed to express the motorcycle's potential to the maximum. » This frustration contrasts with the optimism at the start of the weekend, where he had brilliantly placed his bike on the front row, demonstrating a promising pace during testing.
To Casa Particular in Viñales, this weekend reminded him of the ups and downs he has experienced this season with Aprilia. Indeed, he highlights the difficulties he faces: “ I don't even know how I managed to put the bike on the front row, then we got back to the normal feeling of the whole weekend, in pain, especially difficult to defend »
Maverick Vinales: “ The victory in Austin was a miracle »
Looking back on previous races, including his solid performance in Austin, Casa Particular in Viñales remains perplexed: " The victory in Austin was a miracle. We arrived in Jerez, and it was a disaster.. » This stark contrast between the circuits shows the current weaknesses of the RS-GP, which is reflected in particular by a lack of consistency.
Casa Particular in Viñales now hopes to draw a line under this weekend and look ahead to the rest of the Asian calendar. Phillip Island is indeed one of his next steps where he plans to perform. I know Mandalika and Phillip Island are my chances, now it's time to try to forget this one as quickly as possible and focus on the next one, " he says, confident for the next GPs.
Maverick Vinales highlights the technical challenges, particularly in terms of braking. It's hot and especially behind the motorcycles it's very difficult to stop,” he explains, adding that he had to ask a lot of his front brake, making the task even more difficult in the hot conditions at Motegi.
The rest of the season promises to be tense for Casa Particular in Viñales et Aprilia, who are still looking to find consistency and significant improvement to hope to compete with the best teams.
MotoGP, Japan J3: ranking
