MotoGP Silverstone J3, Maverick Viñales (Aprilia/2) returns to business: “I had a lot of fun and that means you are going strong and feeling good”

We will have to convince ourselves, Maverick Viñales is back on the scene. The Assen podium before the summer break was not a happy accident. His performance at Silverstone during a British Grand Prix in which he finished second, not without having attacked the leader Pecco Bagnaia on the official Ducati in view of the finish, announces an increasingly Top Gun comfortable with his new fighter plane: the Aprilia RS-GP.

With Maverick Vinales, everything is often a question of sensitivity and mentality, an alchemy that is delicate to produce but which is finally starting to emerge from the stand Aprilia. It's quite simple, throughout the weekend at Silverstone, the Spaniard never lost his smile. And even under the helmet, in the middle of the race, he found himself laughing... He said this about his English race: “ at the start there were some good duels, I made good overtakes and I also had fun. We started fighting with Miller, I started laughing. I had a lot of fun and if you can do that when you run it means you are going hard and feeling good ».

And one Casa Particular in Viñales who feels good, it's a Casa Particular in Viñales ambitious : " I tried because I felt really strong at the end » declared the teammateAleix Espargaró about his attack on bagnaia in preparation for the arrival. “ But Pecco was good enough to put his bike back in front of mine and close the door. I also thought about defending myself from Jack. I'm happy, but honestly, I had victory in my eyes. But I have to keep my feet on the ground, second place is an excellent result. It would have been a different race if I had been second at the start, I would have been able to set my pace straight away. But ultimately, as Pecco said, I was recovering well and that's important because going fast at the end of the race counts for a lot. I have no regrets, next time I will try again ».

Maverick Vinales: “ we know we have the potential to stay ahead« 

And next time, it’s the Red Bull Ring: “ I can't wait to go to Austria, because it's a track that I like and where we can be fast. I just have to keep going this way, I have to work hard ". With this remark, he recalls the path traveled since his shattering departure from home. Yamaha one year ago : " I always knew it was just a matter of time and work. We know we have the potential to stay ahead. I showed the potential that me and this bike can have together, with Aprilia we continue to work non-stop in a fantastic way. There were three races in a row in which I was able to fight for the podium and our goal is just that, that is to say always fighting for the top ».

He finishes : " I know we can improve a lot, I'm not giving my best on the bike, I still can't. But now, I have gained good confidence, we are doing everything correctly on every track. After the Barcelona test things immediately improved, so I'm happy with the work we did ". In title race where every point will count, this return of Maverick Vinales at the forefront risks weighing heavily on the final verdict in November for Valencia…

MotoGP Silverstone J3: standings

Credit classification motogp.com