Maverick Vinales clear on “main target” for German MotoGP

Maverick Vinales returns to the Sachsenring this weekend focused on one “main target” – starting from the front two rows of the grid.

After finishing fifth in last Sunday’s Dutch MotoGP - his best Sunday result since Le Mans - the Tech3 KTM rider knows that better qualifying is the missing piece if he wants to fight for a podium.

“We had another really good weekend in Assen, so our target is to keep the momentum going and keep building and getting stronger round after round,” Vinales said.

“However, the main target is to improve qualifying, and start from the first two rows.

“It is going to be even more important at the Sachsenring, which is a very technical track, with a lot of tight corners, so you can get stuck easily if you are in the middle of the pack.”

The Spaniard, who previously finished on the Sachsenring podium in 2018 and 2019 with Yamaha, has seen his grid positions swing wildly from 5th to 20th so far this season.

Vinales added: “I am sure that we will learn a lot this week, because this track is quite different to the others, so I'm excited to see what our potential will be there! Anyway, I'm super excited and motivated, let's go!”

“If Maverick manages a good qualifying, we can expect a strong weekend from him,” echoed team manager Nicolas Goyon.

“In Assen, we saw that the bike made a step in terms of turning and stability, which are two crucial and technical skills required to be fast in Germany.”

Bastianini: “The feeling was much better”

Team-mate Enea Bastianini also arrives in Germany encouraged by his Assen fightback, where he charged from 20th to ninth, equalling his best result as a KTM rider.

“The feeling on the bike was much better compared to the previous rounds, so I am hoping we will be able to continue working in that direction,” said Bastianini.

“It is important that we improve our grid position, it remains one of our main targets.”

The Italian has yet to reach Q2 this season, with a best qualifying of 16th, but Goyon sees signs of progress:

“Enea has shown better performances lately, especially in the last two rounds.

“With four KTMs in the top 11 in Assen, our bike has clearly made a step, and I am sure that Enea will take advantage of it to continue his adaptation and improve his results."

Pedro Acosta, fourth at Assen, is KTM’s lead rider in the standings in eighth. Vinales is tenth, Brad Binder 13th and Bastianini 15th.