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MotoGP, Vinales: "Everything is already very clear to me, Aprilia has worked well"

The Spaniard set the third fastest time of the day, just a few hundredths behind Bagnaia's Ducati. "I'm eager to test myself on other circuits. The feelings are excellent and the speed has improved. I've also rediscovered rear traction, one of my strong points"

MotoGP: Vinales: "Everything is already very clear to me, Aprilia has worked well"

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Maverick Vinales says he is more than satisfied with the tests, which in the third and final day saw him less than two tenths behind the first two Ducatis. An Aprilia therefore competitive both from a technical and rider point of view, with both riders at the top of the standings in the middle of all the Ducatis. The Spaniard's improvements had already been glimpsed in the final stages of last year’s championship, and now the rider says he is already satisfied with the development work carried out by the Noale-based company during the winter break, so much so that he is anxious to be able to test his RS-GP23 also on other circuits.

"I'm very satisfied with the work done by Aprilia during the winter - Maverick Vinales told us - honestly, I feel really comfortable on the bike already now and I feel that there is still room for improvement. We tested a lot of new parts, while the setting of the bike has remained more or less the same. The tests went well, now in Portimao it will be the time to put all the data collected together and take the next step".

Did the top speed come as an unexpected gift?

"Honestly, I was focused on something else at the time. We made several improvements but now my eyes are already on the races, I can't wait to get back to racing for real".

Aleix said the bike still needs to improve in some respects.

"My feelings are excellent, I have improved above all in acceleration, reducing the loss of traction on the rear tyre. Now I would like to try everything on another circuit, because on this one I found myself really good in managing the speed and I would also like to have these feelings on other tracks. I think that for tire wear it is important, because in the time attack speed can be fundamental, but then in the race pace also becomes important. This year compared to last season I felt fewer problems with the grip of the rear, which has always been one of my strengths and which I wasn't able to get the best of last year".

Do you think having a satellite team as well will affect this year in any way?

"They're different bikes, so I don't get any data from those bikes. In the factory team, the work is very different, and I think we still have room for improvement, but compared to last year, speed has improved, and the pace is very good."

Have you had the opportunity to compare yourself with the Ducatis on the track? Aleix mentioned their incredible braking ability.

"No, I followed Marc for a few laps but I wasn't close enough to see anything in particular. In reality, I didn't look for a comparison. The braking sensations were good for me, then maybe there will be room for improvement in that aspect too definitely. As I said, we tried mainly the new parts".

Have the major decisions already been taken or are there still some doubts that you will solve in Portimao?

"Everything is already clear enough for me, we have the chassis and fork, while for aerodynamics we have a couple of options that have both positive and negative sides. Unfortunately the rain got in the way of our plans and we didn't do as many laps as we would have wanted, so we will certainly continue with development in Portimao. There is certainly still room for improvement but for now we are already at a good point to start the championship".

 

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