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He missed the win by a tenth, but Maverick Viñales is not dwelling too much on this detail. It is more important for him to have rediscovered his confidence riding his M1 and having gotten all the moves right, beginning with the soft tyre on the rear, a choice that no other top rider made.
“I had a few doubts, but it was not a gamble - he points out - I had worked with that compound throughout the weekend and I knew that it would give me something more in the final laps. After the start, I saw that I was able to maintain a good pace without pushing too hard. We kept Valentino in check without letting him run away at the front.”
In that moment, the Spaniard realised that he could fulfil his strategy.
“And I did it. I tried to win, playing all my cards - he continues - I did not succeed, but I am happy and proud of the work done with my team, plus I was able to ride the way I wanted to. I rode an intelligent race.”
The only scare came when Marquez’s engine blew in front of him.
“I was afraid there, because I thought he had leaked oil - he admits - In that braking section, I braked 30 metres earlier than usual. I lost a bit of contact with Dovizioso and Valentino but then I was able to catch them up.”
Certain results are not the work of chance and Maverick has a very clear idea in his mind about what the turning point was.
“The tests last Sunday in Misano - he reveals - There we worked a lot on the electronics and we were able to make an improvement to keep from wearing the rear tyre too much, but I know we still need to take another step forward. In the meantime, we are back in shape and we have recovered a few points. There are still six races to go and anything can happen.”
