It's a studious Maverick Viñales who worked, for two days in Portimao, to refine the settings of his new RS-GP. The Top Gun was one of those who hid his game by not going on a hunt for the clock, so much so that he remained in ambush, ready to engage in combat when the moment counted. But even if the Noale factory gave him a fighter plane, the Spaniard thinks that it will still not be enough to intercept the missiles made in Borgo Panigale and branded Ducati.
Maverick Viñales ended his off-season at Portimao with a twelfth place which made him see the Ducati of Pecco Bagnaia a little more than seven tenths away. For someone who has long had the nickname of Winter Soldier, since he is always at the forefront during the tests preparing for the upcoming campaign, this place may seem surprising. But it is in no way worrying, if we listen carefully to the teammateAleix Espargaro : " it was good » he reassures at the outset. “ On Sunday we worked a lot over long distances”. And he brings this precision to Todocircuito : We left aside the attack on the clock, among other things because in the tire allocation we had the hard front, which suits our motorcycle very well, but it seems that Michelin is not going to take this compound into racing. So we did some fast laps with the soft, but we know we can be much faster with the hard ».
Maverick Vinales explain : " we worked hard for the yardto put me in the right position. Of course I'd like to do 1'38 every lap, but it was about understanding what the throttle response feels like and how I can support the bike on the brakes. Much of our work will pay off during the race weekend. It was important to gather all this information and improve for next weekend ».
Maverick Vinales: “a strong starting position will automatically lead to good results"
A moment eagerly awaited by the Spaniard: “ The next time I get on the bike it will be at the Grand Prix and with great enthusiasm. We have a good bike, now it's time to analyze all the information from this last test and see how we can improve ". Because there are particularities to understand: “ the bike runs very well with a full tank, it's even better, especially when there is no grip and the bike is difficult to slow down. But what's important is that I'm ahead on Saturday and Sunday when it counts ».
And at that moment, we will have to face the Ducati, whose potential he does not deny, on the contrary: “ I think if we want to beat the Ducatis we have to take another step, they are very strong, not just Pecco, all the riders. There are eight Ducatis that are going to be very difficult to beat » he assures before finishing: “ I stay calm, I work and I concentrate on my tasks. That's why I don't look at the rankings that much. A strong starting position will automatically lead to good results. Pecco set an impressive record, so we have to keep working ».
MotoGP, Portimao J2 Test: times
Credit classification motogp.com
