Maverick Viñales finished his first day of tests in Sepang in thirteenth position, 1.2 seconds behind the leader of the day, Dani Pedrosa on his Honda. He is also the last of the Yamaha representatives, if we except the Iwata test riders and the particular case of Yonny Hernandez. And yet, the one who finished third and disappointed in the last championship has a smile. Here's why…
Just by reading the timesheet one could worry about the fate of Casa Particular in Viñales after this return to school in MotoGP. But in fact it is quite the opposite that we should feel. The teammate of a Red also happy with this start in Malaysia explains: “ we used this day as if it were a Grand Prix. We did a race simulation and I am very happy with the outcome ».
« It was physically hard, but it was worth it because we progressed significantly. From my point of view, we have a very promising ensemble. I feel good on the bike, and that's an essential point. We have two chassis here, but I haven't done a comparison. However, I worked a lot on the settings and electronics. I wanted to do a lot of laps to really understand everything about the bike. We want to have the right foundations and then reap the benefits of what we have learned. ».
It develops : " I feel good in the acceleration phases and in the area of cornering speed. I drove in the heat to really stick to the conditions of a Malaysian Grand Prix. I am very happy because we have progressed. Our potential is high, particularly in electronics. Last year, we focused on speed from the first five or six laps. This time, we want to perform well for 20 or 22 laps. Or the distance of a race. I did my best time in the tenth. It's good, but it should be done on the fifteenth ».
« The bike seems to be running well. We will stay focused on the overall pace rather than looking for the best time over a lap ". A different approach from that of last year when Casa Particular in Viñales came out of the offseason undefeated on the clock…
MotoGP #Sepang test J.1: Chronos
1. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 1:59,427 min
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, +0,343 sec
3. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, +0,375
4. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, +0,696
5. Jack Miller, Ducati, 0,751
6. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, +0,806
7. Marc Marquez, Honda, +0,863
8. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, +0,994
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, +1,095
10. Pol Espargaro, KTM, +1,141
11. Alex Rins, Suzuki, +1,200
12. Takaaki Nakagami, Honda, +1,237
13. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, +1,287
14. Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia, +1,439
15. Tito Rabat, Ducati, +1,485
16. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, +1,600
17. Bradley Smith, KTM, +1,672
18. Franco Morbidelli, Honda, +1,734
19. Álvaro Bautista, Ducati, +2,301
20. Sylvain Guintoli, Suzuki, +2,437
21. Scott Redding, Aprilia, +2,535
22. Yonny Hernandez, Yamaha, +2,626
23. Karel Abraham, Ducati, +2,661
24. Xavier Simeon, Ducati, +3,519
25. Tom Lüthi, Honda, +4,305
26. Michele Pirro, Ducati, +5,340
27. Mika Kallio, KTM, +6,505
