MotoGP Lin Jarvis Yamaha: “Maverick Viñales has regained his place in the Yamaha team”

Viñales' adventure at Yamaha got off to a flying start with an off-season during which the Spaniard remained undefeated and a strong start to the campaign with victories. Then the situation changed, the results declined and the momentum lost. Around the Top Gun, everything had to be changed, from the chief mechanic to the number on the bike... A reconsideration which seems to be bearing fruit if we judge by the second part of this season which led Rossi's teammate to take third place in the championship. A return to the forefront which does not leave Lin Jarvis indifferent…

Lynn Jarvis is Yamaha's man at the Grands Prix, and he is delighted to see his rider's return to form Maverick Vinales. For the second time since 2017, the Spaniard finished the MotoGP season in third place in the World Championship. “ Maverick didn't start the year so well, his results weren't as good in the first five or six races “, said the team director. “ Valentino was faster at the time and Maverick was a little lost. »

After seven races, only third place in Jerez was a highlight. “ We then saw the impact of the changes in his team. Esteban Garcia was the new team leader and Julián Simón was the new driver performance analyst. The group has been working well for a while and Maverick made his own tuning decisions. »

In Assen, Casa Particular in Viñales celebrated the first victory of the season for Yamaha. Then came second place at the Sachsenring. Then Brno and Spielberg were difficult meetings, but from Silverstone onwards, the Spaniard was practically a candidate for the podium in every race. In Australia, there was a fall in wanting to challenge the victory in Márquez in the last lap, but Casa Particular in Viñales won in Malaysia.

« It was very encouraging that he improved his performances during the year, and I am particularly happy that his starts improved ", said Jarvis. " I think he found his place in the Yamaha team and showed his potential. I would be very happy if he stayed with us in 2021 and beyond »

Casa Particular in Viñales is the only Yamaha rider to have won races in 2018 and 2019. This year, there was also a new rider who emerged in the Yamaha clan. It is fabio quartararo. did the latter play a role in the awakening of Casa Particular in Viñales ? “ I don't think that's the main motivation », declares Jarvis which therefore does not exclude this hypothesis.

« We made changes to his team last fall and winter, Maverick is a person who needs to feel at home, he needs to feel like everyone is working for and with him, and I think that's the main reason which explains the improvement of its results » developed Jarvis.

« In the past he had a great team leader in Ramon Forcada. Wilco Zeelenberg was his performance analyst. It was solid but it lacked tight bonds. When Maverick fought early in the season, Quartararo was in front of him. It was frustrating for him and I think it motivated him, but it wasn't the main reason ».

At least, Casa Particular in Viñales chose to follow the path that was imposed on the French to do with equipment with limited possibilities for development. As with the rookie of the year, Maverick chose to optimize what he had available, rather than embarking on developments. He therefore opposed the new carbon swingarm and the dual-outlet exhaust, while Red worked on these topics during races before returning to proven equipment. For Casa Particular in Viñales, it was the right decision, as his results in the fall showed.

« Maverick chose not to use these parts because he was trying to find himself at that time ", remember Jarvis. " And he managed not to radically change the bike, but he worked with his team on existing things. He managed to improve his consistency and performance. He came third in the championship. »

« Comparisons between factory teams and satellite teams became very interesting because Fabio had the worst theoretical specifications at the start of the season. But he was the most consistent rider, partly because his bike hadn't changed and he was focused on himself »

« Sometimes the factory team is a disadvantage if you have too many options, you have to work for the future but at the same time make the best decisions for the race weekend in order to achieve the best results. Sunday. We are here to race and racing is always a compromise when testing new parts " finished Jarvis.