Maverick Vinales: My KTM "is at the level of Qatar, but…”

Maverick Vinales insists his KTM RC16 remains “at the level of Qatar” despite missing out on a place in Q2 at Jerez, following a technical issue on his final lap in Friday’s Spanish MotoGP Practice session.

Fresh from a shock second-place in Doha - later lost due to a post-race tyre pressure penalty - all eyes are on whether Vinales can replicate that form at Jerez.

The early signs were promising, Vinales kicking a home weekend off with fourth in morning practice. He then ran as high as second in the crucial afternoon session, but hit trouble on his final run.

“We did a good preparation during practice,” Vinales explained. “We were progressively pushing more and more with strong laps, but unfortunately we got a technical problem in the last attack, so I could not put everything together. The bike stopped and I could not rejoin.”

"Bike is at the level of Qatar for sure"

The incident saw Vinales drop to 14th overall as others improved, sending him to Q1 for the first time since Argentina. 

But he remains defiant.

"The day has been really positive to be honest, the bike is feeling good, and I miss 0.2 seconds more or less to fight for top 4, which I hope to find during the weekend,” he said.

“The bike is at the level of Qatar for sure, but the Ducatis are a bit stronger in Jerez with the fast corners, so we are feeling a small gap with this regard, but otherwise, our package is strong.

“Good rhythm, we are happy, so let’s keep working."

With Pedro Acosta (eighth) the only KTM rider to secure a top ten place, Vinales will be joined in Qualifying 1 by Brad Binder and Tech3 team-mate Enea Bastianini.

"I feel like the scenario is similar every week,” Bastianini said. “We feel happy after the race at the end of a weekend, but then we have to start it all over again because our first day is always hard, with everything to do all over again on the new bike.

“We have improved between the morning and the afternoon, but we are still very far from the level that I want, far from our expectations.

“The bike has been nervous and I have struggled to turn properly in the fast corners where I lost a lot of time, especially in sector 3 here on the left side. Today’s strong wind has not made it easy, but anyway, let’s work tonight and try arriving on Saturday with improvements."

Binder, meanwhile, revealed he felt improvements after moving towards a Vinales-style bike balance.

“The balance is a bit closer to what he used in Qatar and it gave me a lot more confidence on braking and entry,” said the South African. “Especially on throttle, when I picked the bike up, I don't spin as far.”

Acosta is persisting with what he calls a '2024' bike, having regained his braking confidence in Qatar.