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Top Gun Vinales. That's him! The Spaniard put his mark on the first pole position of this 2019. If Rossi was forced to lag behind on Saturday at Losail, n.12 traced the path to follow for team Yamaha, setting everyone straight during the qualifying laps with a time of 1'53.546. He couldn't have expected more.
"I think the turning point came in the FP4." Maverick began. "We made a major change to the bike, which gave us the desired effect. I'm really excited because what I was planning to do worked, and I think this is the best Maverick of the last three years. In fact, Yamaha understood how I drive and what I need."
There is also a bit of amazement for his performance.
"I admit I was surprised about the pole position. I didn't believe it after finishing that lap. Maybe I could have reached that time during the previous one, but what matters is that I did it."
So the Spaniard seems very satisfied.
"I'm really excited, since we worked well over the weekend, managing to improve the bike. A fundamental aspect was that of having improved the second sector and, at the same time, being able to follow my lines."
All we can do now is turn our attention to the race.
"I can say that we’ve found a good set-up. We're also able to be competitive with a full tank. Obviously, we'll have to evaluate the conditions on Sunday. I say this especially with regard to the choice of tires, whether to use soft ones or not. Like I said on several occasions, the humidity could condition the decision, but today it went well, despite there being a few degrees less."
Vinales then went into detail.
"I'm convinced that, in the beginning, a group will be created with different riders, and, in that case, we'll have to prove that we have the intelligence needed to avoid making mistakes. I see the Ducati in front of me, especially Dovizioso. In the tests, his GP19 was impressive on the straight. Then obviously there's also Marquez's Honda and Quartararo's Yamaha, which have proven to be fast. I especially hope to find favorable weather conditions."
His last comment refers to the progress made with the team.
"We worked hard to be prepared with the team, especially improving the mechanical part as compared to the electronic component. Certainly, I'm in the best situation, given that it's been a long time since I felt that good when riding."
