The French Yamaha rider is unhappy, just as Viñales was last year on the same team. The move to Aprilia has given the Spaniard his smile back, considering also the growth of the Noale team which culminated in a win at Argentina
07.04.2022 ( Aggiornata il 07.04.2022 12:59 )
The start of the 2022 season has brought a turnaround for two well-known faces in the MotoGP World Championship. The first is 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, and the second is former Yamaha rider, Maverick Viñales.
The two former team-mates seem to be experiencing very different situations compared to last season. The Frenchman, so happy with the Iwata manufacturer last year, is now crying bitter tears, while the Spaniard appears much more serene after moving to the Noale manufacturer.
Quartararo and a situation that needs to change as soon as possible
How much can the MotoGP World Championship change, from one year to the next? A great deal it seems. The start of the season is once again highlighting the unpredictability of the championship. While the end of the 2021 season saw Fabio Quartararo celebrating the world title with his M1, this year the Frenchman seems increasingly inclined to leave the blue team. Sure, he scored a good result in Indonesia, where he was able to finish second despite the rain. But this has been the only positive result in three races, in that he finished ninth in Qatar and eighth in Argentina. Not to mention the championship standings as, although we’re still only at the start of the season and anything can happen, he lies fifth with 35 points to date.
In recent years, with no one specific leader dominating all races from start to finish, one factor has become crucial, and that is that consistency pays off. And so if Fabio is unable to win the races, he will need to finish at least top five to be in with a chance of the title. Something that is not happening right now. Already during pre-season testing, Quartararo had expressed his dissatisfaction with the M1, the top speed of which is not in line with that of the competition, but now the waters in Iwata are increasingly muddy, with the French rider being courted by various other teams. After the Argentinian race, the rider himself commented: “A change of team is something to consider. My future is not clear, so I need to think carefully and take my time”.
Viñales has made the right choice
And talking about consistent results, who is leading the way in the championship standings? Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaró who, thanks to a win in Argentina and a fourth and ninth place in Qatar and Indonesia, can feel satisfied, particularly thanks to an RS-GP and a team that is finally up at the sharp end and fighting on equal terms with its rivals. And, like Aleix, Viñales also has reason to celebrate, the door to happiness having once again opened after the difficulties and frustration with Yamaha, the split and his arrival at Aprilia. He is still adapting to a bike that is very different to the Yamaha of course, but Maverick is definitely not short on talent and can achieve anything he wants with the RS-GP.
While last year saw him crying bitter tears, the rider feeling as if the team did not really value him, he has nothing to worry about with Aprilia. It looks as if he and Quartararo have essentially reversed roles, the Spaniard now happy after a very tough period, and the Frenchman currently dealing with a number of issues that clearly don’t facilitate his work. Will he too need to leave Yamaha in order to be able to smile once more?
Translated by Heather Watson
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