The Yamaha rider was reassured during this first day and is now waiting for the second to confirm certain improvements.
The 2019 pre-season begins under the best auspices for Maverick Vinales who finished the first test, in Valencia last week, in the lead. He actually won at the end of each of the two days, and was rather satisfied with this result. However, the test having been quite disrupted by the weather, not all the tests could be carried out, particularly on the new engine, and he was looking forward to racing at Jerez this week.
It is now done with the first day completed and the results continue to be positive since the Spanish driver finished in fourth position, four tenths off the best time. Now reassured about the potential of his machine, Viñales is still waiting to see how certain improvements will work on the second day: “We tried the same engine that we used in Valencia, to try to understand which way we should go. This track is much more difficult for us than that of Valencia, there it is easier to do a good timed lap, so I am quite happy with today because we were consistent. The track was a little slippery for our bike, but the M1 worked really well, so I think our decision is more or less made. However, we still need to check some things. I prefer to ride with more engine braking because it helps my riding style a lot. I'm quite curious to see how it goes tomorrow when we start changing the settings a bit. We will see if we can be more competitive. I think we can still improve a lot on the electronics and the basic settings, because the bike works a little differently now and that allows me to be faster when entering corners. So we need to change the settings because I can ride more naturally now. My first day with Esteban went well. He is a very calm person and we both worked well. We were in front for a while today and I'm happy. »
Jerez Test, Day 1:
1. Petrucci, Ducati, 1:37,968 min
2. Dovizioso, Ducati, 0,217 sec
3. Nakagami, Honda, + 0,380 sec
4. Vinales, Yamaha, + 0,408 sec
5. Marquez, Honda, + 0,549 sec
6. Morbidelli, Yamaha, + 0,691 sec
7. Lorenzo, Honda, + 0,781 sec
8. Miller, Ducati, + 0,848 sec
9. Bautista, Ducati, + 0,862 sec
10. Mir, Suzuki, + 0,988 sec
11. Iannone, Aprilia, + 1,040 sec
12. Rabat, Ducati, + 1,129 sec
13. Rins, Suzuki, + 1,182 sec
14. Bagnaia, Ducati, + 1,189 sec
15. Pol Espargaró, KTM, + 1,273 sec
16. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 1,446 sec
17. Rossi, Yamaha, + 1,596 sec
18. Smith, Aprilia, + 2,206 sec
19. Zarco, KTM, + 2,224 sec
20. Abraham, Ducati, + 2,470 sec
21. Syahrin, KTM, + 2,662 sec
22. Guintoli, Suzuki, + 2,775 sec
23. Oliveira, KTM, + 3,731 sec
24. Baiocco, Aprilia, + 4,798 sec
