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He had started the weekend quietly, with an 11th place in the FP1s and an eighth position in the FP2s. Today, however, Maverick Vinales seemed fast right from the start, even in wet conditions, finishing the FP3s in first place ahead of Miller's and Dovizioso's Ducatis. Also, in qualifying, Maverick managed to keep up with Miller's Ducati Pramac, finishing in first place, and obtaining his tenth pole in the MotoGP, Yamaha's first at the Red Bull Ring.
“Already this morning I felt good on the wet (track, ed)," Vinales said at the press conference. "I always try to be fast and try to understand the tires immediately. I knew I could take the bike to the limit in qualifying, and I did, so I'm very happy with this pole. Yesterday, I didn't feel good with the bike. I made many mistakes, and I must say that the work done by the team helped me a lot.”
What could your chances for tomorrow be? Is your pace rather consistent enough to try and fight for a victory?
"The idea is to push from the beginning of the race. I'll try to fight for the podium right from the first lap"
In recent weeks, there has been talk about, and they're still talking a lot about, Yamaha's engines. Are you worried about the stops and damage in Jerez and Brno and the request by the factory to replace the valves?
“As far as I know, the engine is fine. We have no longer have problems, and I think everything is resolved. In my opinion, everything that happened in Jerez was due to the extreme temperatures. My bike always does the same laps."
On the other Yamahas, especially Morbidelli's, we're looking at the set-up control. Do you use it?
“I don't use it here, I don't think it's ready yet. I used it in Jerez, but it gives me problems when braking. It's too aggressive. I'll try it again in Misano.”
Quartararo: "Set-up corrector difficult to use"
As we said, Maverick Vinales' pole position was the first for Yamaha at the Red Bull Ring, which today also placed another M1 in the front row: Fabio Quartararo's. The French rider finished in third place, with an 11th consecutive front row, his 17th in the top class. Just like Vinales, Fabio also started this weekend with many unknowns and, as he told us yesterday, he would have expected a day on the defensive for today.
“Honestly, today I wasn't at my best. It's not the best track for Yamaha, because it's really fast, even if not as challenging as Mugello or Phillip Island. Anyway, I like it a lot.”
Vinales said the engine is no longer a problem for Yamaha. Are you of the same idea?
“I have the same power at my disposal as I did in Brno.”
We've also seen the set-up corrector on your bike, what do you think?
“I'm using it, but I don't know if it really works. I didn't use it in Brno and Jerez because it's not very easy. Now we need to understand if it really benefits us. I've been trying it since the Qatar tests, but only during the tests. When I activate it, I feel the bike lowers and, when I break things down, things get worse.”
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