The winter holidays have taken over for MotoGP riders. Time also to take stock of the past season, among other entertaining activities, to better plan for the one to come. This is the case of Maverick Vinales , the Yamaha rider, who is already mobilized for 2020, because he knows that from the start of the season, he will have to be at the top, to counter Marc Márquez.
The 2019 season of Maverick Vinales ended with good momentum. He thus finished third in the championship standings and also finished first Yamaha rider. The first part of the season was complicated according to the Spaniard and it was after the race in Catalonia that a milestone was reached. Little by little, things fell into place. He managed to get a better setup on his bike and became faster as a result. Naturally, he began to take the lead in qualifying and achieve good results in the race. “ The evolution happened during the fourth or fifth race where I managed to make good starts”, explained the pilot from Figueras. “ At least I didn't lose any positions and I could concentrate on setting up the bike » he added.
Maverick Vinales did some hard work on himself, recruiting a sports psychologist to learn how to manage his stress during difficult times. For several weeks, he established his training camps in Qatar to improve his driving style and psychophysical balance. For the occasion, the Losail circuit was made available to him. Departures included. In Valencia and Jerez he tested the new Yamaha M1, but the engine still did not fully satisfy him. « The engine is very similar to the previous one. Our bike is very efficient in corners and we have not lost this quality. Something is still missing in terms of top speed and between now and February I hope we will make further progress. It's hard to know. Ultimately, when you work with a factory, you have to trust and know that sometimes you have to wait. I think we did a good job, especially in these two tests, we tried a lot of things and did a lot of laps » mentioned the teammate of Valentino Rossi.
At the end of the season, it is Fabio Quartararo, the Yamaha Petronas rider who gave him a hard time. « For me it's an advantage if another Yamaha is fast,” has followed Maverick Vinales. With more data and a different way of driving, we can find solutions when they are in difficulty. » The other enemy that will have to be defeated if the Spaniard wants to conquer the world crown is the reigning champion, Marc Marquez. « We must try to win from the first race, we must start immediately at the maximum » commented Maverick.
What about its future? Knowing that a door is already ajar to integrate the Ducati Rouge. « For now we are focusing on the next season, for me it is very important. I want to give 100%, to the bike, the team, and to all the people around me. “I’m not worried, he’ll handle it all,” my manager concluded. Concerning myself I have to be all in and do my best » concluded the pilot who will celebrate his 25th birthday next January.
