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Protagonist in the good and the bad. This was the Sachsenring Friday for Maverick Viñales. The Spanish rider sorted everything in the second free practice session, confirming the potential of the Suzuki on the flying lap. And the crash that partially marred his performance mattered little, because number 25 certainly did not think of throwing in the towel.
An almost perfect afternoon with the exception of the crash.
“To tell the truth, I don’t really understand the dynamic of the crash. Maybe I was just a bit off the line. I probably should have warmed up the tyre better since it was only the second lap. It was one of those crashes that happen on turn eleven, maybe I went in leaning over too far.”
You demonstrated straight away that you are feeling at ease.
“I think I have the right confidence with the bike, especially in terms of the balance. I also think that it is important to be confirmed at the top in dry conditions as well.”
What do you think of the asymmetrical tyres Michelin has brought?
“As for the right side of the front tyre, I had positive results. Maybe on the right-hand part it is more difficult, like last year with the Bridgestones. Despite the crash, I was feeling good. In fact, I got right back in the saddle and began to push even harder.”
You finished in first place. Do you think there is still a step forward to take?
“I have positive feelings, but we are still not at 100% of our potential. We need to work better on the setup, especially in the corners.”
With Viñales looking down on the rest, the other side of the coin in the Suzuki garage is represented by Aleix Espargarò. At the end of the day, the Spaniard had to settle for sixth place at almost eight tenths behind his teammate.
What are you still lacking?
"We improved a lot and found a good balance, but we are still lacking a bit of confidence with the front. At the moment, the asymmetrical tyre is working well, but the problem here is the track, especially on the right-handers. Unfortunately there are not many and consequently the setup needs to be improved to work on the tyre.”
Various riders have pointed out the problem with low temperatures
“Suzuki has shown that it is very agile. We have also had excellent responses in terms of the frame. Unfortunately, the cold did not help us. In fact, I had hoped for warmer temperatures. We have a few ideas for Saturday and we are hoping to achieve the desired response.”
