At the end of this first Grand Prix of the 2018 MotoGP season in Qatar, the mystery which surrounded the erratic performances of Maverick Vinales seems to be well on the way to dissipation...
11th on the first day of testing, 20th in FP3 and 6th in FP4, the Yamaha rider had to go through Q1 to qualify in a very modest 12th position.
His ordeal was not over, however, since the native of Figueras fell to 15th place on the 2nd lap of the race, before beginning a very good comeback which led him to cross the finish line in 6th. position, less than 4 seconds from the winner.
These erratic performances put the Catalan's nerves to the test depending on whether he sees the glass half empty or half full.
We find this duality in the Spaniard's comments made after the race.
“Honestly, I was a little upset because if my 1'55 had come a lot earlier, maybe I could have fought for the podium. For sure I was angry, but at the same time I was very happy because the team never gave up and ultimately, with patience, we found a very good set-up. Something I like. I felt that in the last laps it was the Maverick of always: attacking and getting faster and faster throughout the race. »
The miracle has therefore taken place and its explanation can be found in the new settings of his M1 which, by favoring corner entry, allows him to compensate for his recurring problems with traction of the rear wheel which always excessively trigger the Traction Control which comes again overly castrate the power of the 4-cylinder Yamaha.
“It looked like the bike was set up for the last ten laps of the race, but I think it was more about the power and electronics than the settings. I felt really good on the brakes, which meant there wasn't enough power on the bike to try and attack the other riders. It was very difficult to overtake Brad (Smith), then Aleix and Jack. I lost a lot of time behind Jack because I couldn't attack him. Not enough power on the bike when accelerating.
But that's because we didn't focus on the electronics for racing, we focused on finding the settings, and the new setup actually works. We went in the opposite direction from the test, stiffening up the front and going a different stiffness in the rear. This is something I really love and have requested many times. Finally, we made it here and it's a good direction. »
Last year's winner in Qatar added: “For me, looking back, it's like I lost three months because now the bike is totally different from the one in the test. The chassis is the same, but the configuration is totally different. At the opposite. I still need more confidence, but the strongest point of last year's bike has returned, which is the fast corners, and I'm very happy with that.
It's much better when entering corners and the bike shakes less. It's something I like, the bike is more stable and I can attack the apex of the corners a little more. A little more speed in corners but also with the brakes. I also didn't have any problems with acceleration because I gain in the middle of the corner. This is something I've been asked to do many, many, many times. But we did it here, on race weekend.
I felt good on the bike and the motivation is picking up. Yesterday it was so hard for me to stay motivated and focused. Let's see the next race. I am convinced that the pace in the race is there. Now we need to improve other areas. »
Several times during winter testing, Vinales thought he was rediscovering the speed that took him to three victories in the first five rounds last year, only to struggle again. But this time, the Spaniard insists that these new settings put in place are the real solution, rather than another false hope.
“Before, we only fixed the problem for a few laps, and with new tires, no fuel and a crazy attack. But for the pace, I never felt like I had it, in FP4 and in the race. What I need now is laps and laps and laps and laps and getting back to the feeling I had last year. »
That's all the bad we wish him...
| 1 | 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 42'34.654 |
| 2 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | +0.027 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +0.797 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +2.881 |
| 5 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +3.821 |
| 6 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +3.888 |
| 7 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +4.621 |
| 8 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +7.112 |
| 9 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | +12.957 |
| 10 | 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | +14.594 |
| 11 | 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | +15.181 |
| 12 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | +16.274 |
| 13 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +19.788 |
| 14 | 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | +20.299 |
| 15 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | +23.287 |
| 16 | 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | +24.189 |
| 17 | 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | +24.554 |
| 18 | 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | +31.704 |
| 19 | 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | +34.712 |
| 20 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | +37.641 |
| 21 | 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | +46.706 |
| Unclassified | ||||
| 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | 7 Tours | |
| 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 10 Tours | |
| 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 10 rounds |
