This 2018 season is coming to an end. HAS Sepang, she distributed her last main prizes to only reserve for the Valencia final, in two weeks, only her accessits. Suddenly, the big maneuvers for 2019 have begun, and not only on the track and on the bike. Behind the scenes, the men also take dates. So Maverick Vinales at Yamaha. He is the one who brought back a taste for victory to Iwata's troops, weaned after 25 successful races. It was at Phillip Island. Valentino Rossi was ready to return the favor in Malaysia. A civilized duel at a distance but with certain political stakes…
As a result, this abandonment after a fall which concluded a hitherto perfect performance has an impact in this context. Especially since in Valencia, Red et Vinales will fight for the last step of the podium in the championship. And for the status of the first Yamaha rider in the championship. So many elements which will be useful to make yourself heard by Japanese bosses.
Vinales states as follows: “ the victory in Australia will certainly give me a lot of credibility in the choice of the changes to make… I have been with Yamaha for two years. We will work in a different way than in the 2018 pre-season and it will be very positive. » The Spanish driver asks for more decision-making power in the team: “ obviously I have nothing against Rossi. Valentino is one of the greatest in history, so it is normal that Yamaha wants to continue with his experience because he is a great rider, he can win races. He's ahead of me in the championship, so it's the first Yamaha, but I ride very differently, and how I feel on the bike is also different. ».
Before joining Valencia, he laid the foundations of his list of requirements: “ I think there are still a lot of things we can improve on, but things are better than before, and now I can be more consistent. We just have to change the engine of this bike. I have said many times that the chassis is very good. Our bike is really good, we just need to have more rear grip, especially when braking ».
Maverick is confident that Yamaha will provide him with an engine specification that meets his requirements. Valentino Rossi is obviously aware of this situation. He responded by assuring that it did not pose a particular problem to him since Yamaha is able to develop two different motorcycles…
