Just like in Valencia, Sepang and Phillip Island, Vinales once again dominated all of his opponents. In 1'54.330, he was ahead of Andrea Dovizioso by 0.071, already going faster than the lap record set last year by Jorge Lorenzo on Yamaha in 1'54.927, and approaching the absolute track record held by the same Lorenzo in 1'53.927 since 2008.
Maverick is not, however, the favorite for all the Grands Prix, because being the fastest over a lap and over the entire race are two different things. But it would not be surprising if on his current momentum he achieves numerous pole positions. Its ability to exploit the new soft Michelins is fantastic, on tracks with layouts as different as those of Valencia and Losail, as well as Phillip Island and Sepang which have equally varied characteristics, as well as dissimilar weather conditions.
At the end of the Qatar tests, Vinales commented “ I'm really happy, we've taken a new step with the bike and I feel comfortable, even at race pace. We are very happy. I think we can still improve the electronics and gain two tenths, so we have room to improve. We are not at the limit of the bike, so we can still push a little more. If we ride in the first GP like we did in the test, we can fight for victory. We have a really good set up and I feel good on the bike. I am currently in great physical shape, and I also feel comfortable ».
“Nothing is ever perfect, you always want more. I wanted to go down to 1'54 because last year Jorge did it. But anyway, I think we did a good job. I was penalized a bit because I had to stay stopped in my pit box for many laps. But finally we recovered afterwards, I found the right rhythm, I feel good on the bike.
“We tested different settings, especially for the front, and in the end we gained a lot, so I'm happy with that. The whole team did a great job, and we are improving. I felt really strong at the end, in a small 1'55, I could have even gone a little faster, but maybe that would have been too risky.
“I think we are on the right track. Physically, I feel incredibly good on the bike, which is nice. I think we have pretty clear ideas. When I ride on the track, normally I try not to make mistakes, to be consistent, to always brake in the same place. Here it is difficult, perhaps because when you are alone on the track there is a lot of humidity. Quite simply, you brake and suddenly you fall. Normally we try to ride when there are a lot of motorbikes, so the humidity doesn't affect us so much.”
The big question is whether Vinales will win the first Grand Prix, which will take place here in Qatar in two weeks. “I didn’t put that pressure on myself or the team. I think we have to work towards victory, but we don't have to win. It's just the first race. We need to gain experience. But anyway, for sure our goal is to win, because during the test we saw that we have incredible pace, so we will try to continue at this level.”
His four successive performances during the tests logically propel Vinales to the rank of favorites for the title. “ I don't know. There are many drivers who can be favorites for the Championship. At least those from Ducati, Yamaha, Honda can be champions. There are a lot of drivers who are strong, even rookies like Folger and Zarco are very strong too. They can therefore create a surprise. Marc is always there at the front, during all the races, so he is the most constant. Valentino too, it’s incredible how Valentino manages races. In this area I can improve a lot and learn from him. »
For Massimo Meregalli, Yamaha Team Director, “ This test was crucial for us to prepare for the first race of the season and overall we are satisfied. After the very positive results on Saturday, we resumed our work on bike tuning on Sunday, mainly focused on race simulations. We finalized our testing program by making some final adjustments to the settings while Maverick carried out a very efficient long run. He has maintained his fast times over the last three days, both for a fast lap and for the race simulation, and that gives us great confidence for the first race ».
Combined Qatar Test Rankings:
1. Maverick Vinales, Yamaha, 1:54,330
2. Andrea Dovizioso, Ducati, 1:54,401
3. Dani Pedrosa, Honda, 1:54,469
4. Jorge Lorenzo, Ducati, 1:54,519
5. Alvaro Bautista, Ducati, 1:54,714
6. Valentino Rossi, Yamaha, 1:54,732
7. Scott Redding, Ducati, 1:54,750
8. Jonas Folger, Yamaha, 1:54,807
9. Cal Crutchlow, Honda, 1:54,821
10. Johann Zarco, Yamaha, 1:54,900
11. Marc Márquez, Honda, 1:54, 990
12. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, 1:55,121
13. Andrea Iannone, Suzuki, 1:55,284
14. Karel Abraham, Ducati, 1:55,333
15. Alex Rins, Suzuki, 1:55,362
16. Jack Miller, Honda, 1:55,455
17. Loris Baz, Ducati, 1:55,539
18. Danilo Petrucci, Ducati, 1:55,556
19. Sam Lowes, Aprilia, 1:56,167
20. Tito Rabat, Honda, 1:56,294
21. Bradley Smith, KTM, 1:56,351
22. Pol Espargaro, KTM, 1:56,471
23. Mika Kallio, KTM, 1:57,632
