Via the official website MotoGP.com, we attended the post-race MotoGP conference of the Andalusian Grand Prix on Sunday which brought together Fabio Quartararo, Maverick Vinales and Valentino Rossi.
As usual, we report here the entirety of the comments of Maverick Vinales, without the slightest formatting.
Maverick, 40 points in two races is definitely not bad, but that wasn't the plan you had planned for today...
Maverick Vinales : " well, I tried everything, since the first round! In the first lap, I try to overtake Fabio. I saw that he was close to me so I widened the trajectory to take him with me but he was very smart: he braked and recrossed the trajectory. I then lost a place to Valentino and I struggled. I couldn't keep the same plan and I had to change it. Every time I was close to Valentino, I don't know why but I couldn't brake the bike and I couldn't be fast. I suffered a lot when I was just behind Valentino and so I decided to leave a little space to try to let the tires cool down and then attack. But then I was in a fight with the Ducatis and with Franco. My race was very complicated, but after that I started to calm down, concentrate, and keep calm as much as possible. And the last few rounds were fun! I tried at all costs to overtake Valentino because it was very important today to take these 20 points for the championship. And finally we did it, so I'm very happy. The team did a good job this weekend. But nevertheless, we can improve and certainly we will do so in the next race. Brno is a circuit that I really like and we can do better. »
“The last lapses were fun!” – @ mvkoficial12 🎙️
The @YamahaMotoGP man enjoyed the chance to renew hostilities with @ValeYellow46 again! ⚔️#AndaluciaGP 🏁 pic.twitter.com/UtT1SyOiQG
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) July 26, 2020
What can you change to close the gap you have with Fabio Quartararo, because today he seemed unattainable?
« It was impossible! I got stuck behind Vale and couldn't overtake. So I couldn't take my own pace. It was difficult, I struggled. Then, in the last laps, when I was alone, I started to set good times again which gave me a very good feeling. I am motivated to do better in Brno. Of course we know what we need to improve on the bike and that's the most important thing. For me, it was two perfect weekends. Taking 20 points in Jerez is very good for me because I generally struggle here. The team did a good job and yesterday was fantastic. We enjoy every race and for sure we enjoy it a lot today. »
Can you tell us about the engine problem you encountered last weekend?
« I had a problem in FP3 in the morning. I heard a funny noise on the bike so I immediately stopped at the box, but I don't know anything more. I just know that the engine isn't causing any problems at the moment. It is consistent throughout the race, and the power does not deteriorate. We will see better in the future but I think, as Fabio said, they have two weeks to understand what the problem was with the engine. We saw Franco break an engine and Valentino break an engine last week, so we need to find and fix that. It is also very important because this championship is going to be difficult putting a lot of pressure on the engine, especially in the next two races. »
What was it like driving behind Pecco Bagnaia when he blew his engine?
« I think Vale put his hand up on the straight with four laps to go. I said to myself “OK, now is my chance to overtake” (laughs)! But he attacked again and I couldn't do it at that moment. But yes, it was very scary, because you smelled like oil. We slowed down, at least half a second or seven tenths, because we didn't want to fall, especially on oil. Because if you fall like that, the guy coming up behind can be a problem. It was a scary moment but luckily nothing happened and we were able to attack again, once Pecco had moved to the side. »
Standings for the 2020 MotoGP Andalusian Grand Prix at Jerez 2:
Photo credit and ranking: MotoGP.com
