The season began this Thursday for Viñales and the LCR-Honda team who recorded their first setback even before the bikes entered the Losail track to begin their Qatar Grand Prix. So, rumors of the paddock that we had peddled to you have been verified. Inconclusive PCR tests will disrupt the meeting of Maverick Viñales and Alex Marquez who will largely have to do without their respective chief mechanics. The pilots nevertheless want to put things into perspective…
To Maverick Vinales, having his clan dedicated to his cause, united around him, is imperative for his balance. On this point, his chief mechanic Stephen Garcia is an important cog. Likewise, at LCR-Honda, do without Christophe Bouguignon is an imbalance. And yet, the two managers of the box will be absent when the first Grand Prix of the year is launched tomorrow, Friday. Their return is nevertheless possible on Sunday, for the race.
The fault of two PCR tests which were neither for nor against quite the contrary when revealing whether Covid-19 was present or not… Maverick Vinales recounts thus: “ Esteban had a test that was neither positive nor negative. The test was not done well. They put him in a safe zone. He tested negative on Wednesday. He won't be able to come back until Sunday. ", said the Yamaha official. “
Vinales: “It’s a bitter loss”
"It's a bitter loss, but he is in constant contact with us. And we don't need to change the bike much », The teammate of Quarterly adds: " I’m really looking forward to starting the season. It will be a great year for us. I want to have the right bike. It is important that we remain calm. We don't have to modify that much on the bike. It will be important to beat Ducati here. Everything will depend on a good start ».
At LCR-Honda, we were just as disappointed: “ unfortunately, one member of the team is in quarantine. He has not had a clear test and already tested negative today. This is my team leader ", explain Alex Marquez on motogp.com. However, he adds: “ we are in direct contact with him, so it's not a problem. He is very passionate and works from the hotel all day. We already have all the plans on the computer. We also have a computer in the box that we can use to communicate with him 24 hours a day » says Alex Marquez who had a complicated offseason with a foot injury and numerous falls. And now this...
