MotoGP: Viñales-Aprilia, a pairing that’s beginning to work

Among the many subjects up for discussion post-Misano is the solid performance put in by Maverick Viñales. After sitting out the Austin round following the death of his cousin Dean Berta, the Spaniard was back on track and finished the Emilia-Romagna race in the top ten, scoring a precious eighth-place finish.

Viñales: “The setting was a gamble, but it paid off”

A result that takes on even greater important considering the gap between him and Aleix Espargaró, sixth across the line but only one tenth ahead of Maverick. Results that spur Viñales on, eighteenth in his debut race with the RS-GP at Aragon and thirteenth in Misano 1.

Last Sunday’s result comes down to skillful work in the garage: "I’m pleased because before the race we made a big change to the bike’s balance, it was a risk, but our aim is to try and get to know this bike increasingly well”, explained Top Gun at the end of the race. “And it really worked. I had a good rhythm right from the early stages. Having to catch up from a less than brilliant starting position prevented me from fighting for an even stronger result. I’m very confident after what we’ve seen here, step by step we’re amalgamating the rider-team-bike package and this is fundamental".

“We’re starting to be competitive, particularly mid-race, and that’s what we’re looking for right now. I want to thank the team for all their work”.

The numbers

And Viñales’ words are backed up by the numbers… From lap 18 to 27, the Spaniard ducked below 1’33 four times, setting his fastest time (1'32.533) on lap 20. This time was the fourth fastest overall, behind those of Bagnaia, Bastianini and Marquez. A rhythm that allowed Maverick, who started with a medium front tyre and a soft rear, to make up eleven positions. He started from nineteenth on the grid, but a better qualifying session would have clearly allowed him to aim for something more than just a top-ten finish.

The synergy of the bike-rider-tyre package, skilfully developed in the Noale garage, is starting to come. Confirming what we’ve seen on the Riviera at both Portimão and Valencia will be key as the team looks to 2022, a season that could prove very promising for the Viñales-Aprilia pairing if they can find the right consistency.

Translated by Heather Watson

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