Twelfth at the end of his first experience riding the GasGas Tech3 team's KTM, Maverick Vinales fully promoted his Tuesday test at Montmelo.
"I arrived without any expectations, only with the desire to learn, but I must say that the sensations were very positive and the riding was immediately natural, as it has not happened to me for a long time. With the Aprilia, especially in acceleration, it was complicated; here, on the other hand, you pull the bike up and immediately hit the gas. I think it can really bring out my strengths. However, we have to evaluate the suspension and behavior in fast corners, but the RC16 is certainly powerful, has good traction and comes out of corners very well. I really liked the chassis as well. In general it is a stable in fast sections and turns well, so I am satisfied. Beyond the operation of the device, which is different from that of the RS-GP24, everything came easy to me. I used the same setup as Acosta since we are similar in stature and I was immediately comfortable with it. When you're in a situation like that, it's important. The goal? It has to be success, but to succeed it will require everyone rowing on the same side," he spurred on his new team.
"Beyond my feedback it was also important that of Bastianini who comes from Ducati. First impressions are crucial, and I noticed many superior aspects compared to Aprilia. Is the bike better? Hard to say, however when I arrived in Noale we were starting from a more backward point than here in KTM," he then added.
At this early stage, no special requests have yet come to the engineers. "I haven't reached the limit yet, so it hasn't been possible to make them. For now, they gave me a fairing to try out and I liked it quite a bit, and that's another positive element. Did I talk to Pedrosa? Yes because like Pol Espargaro he was with us in the box all day. I tried to get him to explain how the bike works when you have to push or be nice and to share my feelings. The fact that they were similar to theirs means I understood it well. Did I notice differences with a factory team? No, this is a small family, a quiet environment with a good atmosphere. I think a good group will be created," he pointed out.
Analyzing pros and cons the Spaniard explained, "I don't see any walls, but to find any problems I will first have to take the bike to the limit. Today I really appreciated the acceleration that is completely different from the RS-GP24 and this allowed me to be gradually faster. I did five laps together with Acosta to evaluate the fairing under braking. He rides very well, has confidence in the bike and enters corners quickly. He claims that you struggle to turn the bike when you push? I haven't gotten to that level yet."
Asked if the Mattighofen-based manufacturer is fielding the best lineup on the grid, the 29-year-old declared, "It 's hard to say, but from the numbers it would seem so and so you have to take advantage of this chance. As said what matters is rowing on the same side." Finally on Martin's debut with the Aprilia he admitted, " I was impressed that the bike was moving a lot."
Finally returning to what he experienced in riding he revealed, "I made three practice starts and now I understand why I was losing so many positions before. Coming out of corners I can pull the bike up immediately and accelerate. The brakes are stable. I appreciated the lightness of the bike and the fact that it is physical, but not more than that, as a result it is easy to make changes of direction. I really liked the rear device in its operation also because it does not lead the tires to slip. The communication with the team was also very good, even if they only intervened with small adjustments for now."