Maverick Viñales admits to bad choices both in his MotoGP career and in his family life. But now with Aprilia, Raquel and Nina everything is possible.
About Luigi Ciamburro de Motoracing
In August 2021, Maverick Vinales closed its contract with Yamaha for a new MotoGP adventure with Aprilia. The gap to the podium area remains quite large, but in the first eight races he has always finished in the points with the exception of the race in Malaysia. He feels that he will soon be able to progress with the RS-GP and achieve the results he deserves, with the dream of one day winning this world championship that faded in the days of the YZR-M1.
The manufacturer from Noale did not hesitate to renew its confidence in him for another two years and at Mugello it was made official until 2024. In this adventure, he found this family environment which he had missed in recent seasons in MotoGP, remembering the mistakes made in the past. “ My first mistake was not surrounding myself with professionals in all areas of my sporting and personal life, who would have helped me on a daily basis. I trusted my family and friends and I was wrong », he tells 'El Periodico'.
Maverick Vinales takes responsibility. “ I don't blame them for anything...God forbid! I chose them, professionals, friends and family. Everything was done with good intentions. Everyone worked hard to help me, always with very good intentions. The problem was, they weren't the best, and what's more, they left me thinking and deciding things I shouldn't have to think about. Now I can say: I was very young and the best thing I could do was to fly. I was just the pilot. Everything else escaped me. »
The pilot admits he made another big mistake. In 2015 he made his MotoGP debut with
Suzuki where he ran for two years. When the offer of Yamaha arrived, he didn't hesitate to follow through, just when the feeling with the GSX-RR was increasing dramatically.
« Another mistake was leaving Suzuki at the end of 2016 to sign with Yamaha. It was a misstep, but… the Yamaha was, at the time, the reference motorcycle. Nobody made me understand that I couldn't abandon the magnificent work I had done at and with Suzuki. »
Maverick Vinales: “ all I want is to return the love that the people of Aprilia have for me«
Even in his private life, he made some mistakes, such as moving to Andorra, the “tax” homeland of many Spanish pilots.
« Now I can say it was not the good life.
I should have followed my instinct, my values, continued to live with my family, doing what has always worked for me. »
Since he married Raquel Suberá and little Nina arrived, she decided to move to Spain at the same time he found the stability necessary for a MotoGP rider, a sport where for a tenth of a second you can pass from hero to zero. “ Every day when I look into Nina's eyes I know I will become a champion, I know I will achieve my childhood dream, because I see that dream reflected in those clean eyes. Every morning, when his face lights up, I say to myself "I'll make it"“. » Physical and mental balance are necessary to be able to triumph in sport, including MotoGP. “ Everything negative around you, all your doubts and uncertainties, personal and professional, appear on the track. And winning is impossible. »
In his private life he found the harmony he needed, but also professionally he found the team that suited him. “ Aprilia does everything for me. They are Italian and their responsiveness is immediate (or almost), they are very different from the Japanese. They panic to help you. All I want is to return their love. I try to create a good atmosphere in the garage, to get to know my engineers and my mechanics, I want to feel good vibes, to become accomplices, to work in harmony. I put my life in their hands” concluded Maverick Vinales. " And They must know that I trust them blindly. »
