The winter is likely to be long for Yamaha engineers. Maverick Viñales has decided not to let go of them until the 2021 tests resume, so that they finally release a well-made M1. Second place in the constructors' championship, which should have been first without the loss of points as a sanction for haphazard management of the engine problem caused by the valves, will not be an alibi. The Spaniard no longer wants to experience the seasons he has suffered since 2017. On the other hand, he would like to find the M1 of 2016…
The Yamaha , it's like good wine. They improve over time. I think it's better to buy them second-hand. In MotoGP, in any case, the theory is verified. The latest pilots, from Quarterly à Morbidely, achieved an admirable performance with the machine from the previous campaign. Hence this paradox for the brand: to be an official driver with the latest model is to experience frustration.
A daily life that Maverick Vinales would like to break from 2021. Sixth in the 2020 championship with two podiums and a single victory in Misano, the one who will have as a teammate fabio quartararo remains hungry. And it’s nothing to say: “ I couldn't wait to finish this year. Anything positive in 2020? Not really, not even the victory in Misano, because ultimately one victory is not enough for us. It's a satisfaction that after the accident in Austria everything is fine, that's the satisfaction of this year. There, I had all the luck in the world ».
Viñales: “we have lost the DNA of Yamaha”
On the other hand, sporting misfortune with Yamaha is likely to last, listening to it. But he will no longer suffer as before. He sets the tone thus: “ I don’t think next year will be any different. I'll try to do a good job mentally, stay calm, improve my driving and try to be better myself. I will try to help Yamaha a little more so that they can offer us a competitive bike ».
Maverick, like his other colleagues in the brand, hopes to be listened to more by the manufacturer Iwata on the work to be done on the M1: “ I talk to Yamaha every day, they haven't finished hearing me speak. They know perfectly well what I'm asking for, I've been asking for the 2016 bike for many years. But we took another path. We can't help but regret it because in the end it's me who continues to sign with Yamaha because they convince me of the project and the ambition that I detected in them at that time ».
Despite his dissatisfaction and his criticism, Casa Particular in Viñales therefore has no remorse for having renewed with Yamaha ... " For me, we lost the DNA of Yamaha. Braking and cornering qualities disappear, other brands have improved and made a beastly leap. We are regressing ". It will be recalled that Cal Crutchlow was recruited as a test rider at Yamaha. So the engineers haven't finished being criticized...
