The average age of the official Yamaha duo in MotoGP has seen a sharp deflation with the arrival of Fabio Quartararo in place of Valentino Rossi. But for the one who remains, in this case Maverick Viñales, most of this change will be elsewhere. And it will show itself over time. At least he hopes so, an expectation expressed as a veteran of Iwata's training in the competition...
Maverick Vinales set the tone shortly before the official Yamaha presentation in preparation for the 2021 season MotoGP : he wants this year to be the best of his career, a turning point that he must not miss. And indeed, with the arrival of a young and ambitious teammate named Fabio Quartararo who won three races in 2020 with the M1, compared to only one for him, the Spaniard must win. Even if he finished sixth in the last championship, two ranks better than the Frenchman.
The newlywed first laid the foundations: “ct's a strange feeling because until last year I was alongside Valentino, so I was the youngest rider. But now there is Fabio, who is four years younger than me. It seems that now I am the “senior”. I will have all the responsibilities with the team, but I like it. Knowing that I can lead the Yamaha team gives me extra motivation. So I can't wait to start the season to show our full potential ».
Lead the team Yamaha ? Not sure that everyone has the same vision of things in the brand's official box... But Casa Particular in Viñales doesn't stop in its tracks. Before experiencing the new reality, he wants to point out something experienced in the recent past…” Over the past three years, everyone went their own way, there was no unity », Regretted Viñales. “ IThere was my team and that of Valentino. We now have the opportunity to form one team and that is very important. We can work in the same direction with the two pilots and the twenty-four people of the team ».
Viñales on a thread about Rossi and Quartararo
The Spaniard adds: “ I had the opportunity to speak at length with the management of Yamaha and I asked them for more freedom and listening, greater openness towards me and moral support. In recent years I have seen a lot of work and sacrifice from them and I would like to give something important to this group ».
The mood is set, he then releases the pressure. On Valentino Rossi, he specifies as follows: “ I'm not Valentino, I didn't even win his titles » he admits. “ Rossi has not left us: he is still an official rider, he only wears different colors, but for Yamaha he will have the same weight as always”. He ends on this subject: “ so I don't think I'm number one, also because at Yamaha, riders are considered equal. I know what my role is, what I have on my shoulders and I will try to repay the trust that has been placed in me ».
As he specifies that there is no designated leader at Yamaha , he consensually addresses the question of his new teammate: “ the arrival of Fabio is positive, I am convinced that it will be a great boost and that this bike will do the job very well. I plan to build a good, ambitious and united team with him ". A leader could not have said it better...
