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MotoGP, Vinales: "if we improve acceleration, we can fight for the win"

"As things stand, we can fight for the podium. We've grown with regard to deceleration, but we're lacking grip at maximum lean"

MotoGP: Vinales: "if we improve acceleration, we can fight for the win"

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On the final day of testing prior to the season-opener, the sky was tinged blue and black. And we're not talking about stormy weather, but rather the first place finish for Maverick Vinales. The Spaniard is out for redemption and, having already changed number, also want to change his results, for the better of course. A positive performance then, though Maverick is not getting carried away.

“I rode well – he starts - I felt comfortable around the track, I felt fast and am pleased to have improved my time, also thanks to the grip on track, but we can do more. I don't yet have the right confidence at maximum lean, a point where our rivals seem stronger. So we need to improve”.

#12 goes into more detail about his progress with the M1, and reveals what he still needs in order to be able to fight for the win.

“We improved a lot at Sepang with regard to deceleration, but we need to continue on this path. Our pace? Not bad, we tried to do ten laps on the medium tyre today and I had good feeling. The area in which we need to improve is acceleration, once that's done we can fight for the win.

The 2019 season is an important one for the Iwata manufacturer and Vinales wants to start out on the right foot.

“The first races will be important. Our bike has strong points, such as the fast turns, but also weak points. We need to draw some conclusions and understand. I can definitely right as I want to now, and this is important in order to be able to fight against the best”.

Speaking of the best, the Spaniard doesn't give too much away when asked about this rivals.

It's difficult to talk about others as I don't know what work they've been doing. Perhaps they didn't push and so their times are not revealing. We can fight for the podium right now, but we need to improve if we want to go for the win”.

Translated by Heather Watson
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