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Maverick Vinales was definitely the surprise of the Qatar GP. Started from the sixth place, the KTM Tech3 team rider "scampered" to the front making his way through the Ducatis and after inheriting first place from Franco Morbidelli, at the finish line he came second beaten only by Marc Marquez. While this was the outcome decreed by the track, we know that in the evening the decision of the commissioners regarding irregular tire pressure led him to be relegated to fourteenth position. Despite the penalty, as the direct competition itself sportingly acknowledged, Mav's fine performance remains.
"Maverick is incredible. He has a huge passion for his sport and for riding the bike. His actions and attitude are those of a teenager who is taking his first steps. He is full of passion and enthusiasm ," his team manager and patron Hervé Poncharal said to TNT Sports, "Before he left on Sunday, he warned me that he was going to do something. When I then saw him overtake the two Reds and get away, I couldn't believe it. It had been a long time since we felt like that. The whole KTM project needed it. I don't even want to say what happened in the winter. This way it showed the other three riders what they can do, and at the parc fermé Davide Tardozzi himself told me that it is important for other constructors to bother Ducati so as to make the championship more interesting."
The French manager then went on to praise the former Aprilia rider. "During the winter break he worked a lot and although in Texas we were unlucky and struggling with several problems, we knew he was gradually getting in tune with the bike and as such becoming more competitive. For the second weekend in a row he went straight into Q2 and certain results don't come by accident. In the Sprint Race fitting the softs was disastrous, however, we were aware that we could aim for the top 5. I was sure it was a golden opportunity not to be wasted." And despite what happened, in the race the 30-year-old showed that he had no intention whatsoever of throwing away the chance that was coming his way.
"When you're a top rider, at a certain point it becomes a job for you and you start worrying about your image, salary and who takes care of your bike, but the feeling Vinales gives is that of a rookie approaching the championship for the first time. Even in critical situations he always has a smile on his face. He's not one of those guys who when something doesn't work goes back to the box and smashes everything, as I've had in the past. He is a good guy and likes to enjoy life in private and professional aspects, plus he claims to have some orange in his veins. He won the Moto3 title with KTM and remembers how he was treated by Pit Beirer," the 68-year-old concluded.
