Maverick Vinales explains alarming last-place German MotoGP Sprint result

Maverick Vinales said chronic understeer, rather than his physical condition, was behind his distant last-place finish in Saturday's German MotoGP Sprint.

The Tech3 rider, who has made headlines with strong comments towards KTM over his MotoGP future, qualified ahead of only LCR stand-in Cal Crutchlow.

A mistake on lap six allowed the Englishman through, before Vinales lost several more seconds with another error on lap 12 of 15.

Vinales took the chequered flag 31 seconds behind race winner Marc Marquez, 15 seconds adrift of team-mate Enea Bastianini in 14th and eight seconds behind Crutchlow.

Still recovering from the shoulder injury he sustained at the Sachsenring a year ago, Vinales was asked whether he was struggling more physically or with the bike.

“I struggled more with the bike,” Vinales replied. “But we need to understand and keep working.

“The season is not over in just one race, so it's very important to have a good feedback to try to help the team to help my feelings.

“Basically, my feeling is that I have a really low front grip. And especially when I go with new tyres, the feeling it's not there. So, I'm really not turning.

“The feedback I have is that at any moment I can close the front. So, it's really bad to ride like that because I cannot carry speed in the corners, and basically I go very slow.”

Explaining his two laps in the 1m24s, Vinales said:

“That was because I really brake late. In two or three points, I missed the corner, and I was very close to go out of the track.

“Then I was trying a few things to see if I could make something positive on the bike to help it, but I ended up in always in the same situation with understeer, and I cannot make the bike turn.”

The Spaniard cited his performance in the slower corners as proof that his physical condition was not the main issue.

“In turns that I only have to brake and open the gas, I'm at the level of the others. So, it's just the moments I need to carry speed, I open the line [go wide], open and open and open, and I'm very very slow.”

Vinales began the Sachsenring weekend in 11th during FP1, but said the bike becomes harder to ride as track grip improves.

“My feeling is that when the track gains grip, the behaviour of the bike is worse and worse.

“We are trying to understand how to improve that. But I can feel that the bike of this year is working quite well when there is grip. When there is no grip, it's very hard to make a proper lap time.

“For example, today in the sprint, I had a lot of shaking, and I cannot hold on the bike. For me, it's very hard to keep full gas on the downhill.”

"I already understand that I'm out of MotoGP"

Meanwhile, the former Suzuki, Yamaha and Aprilia race winner insisted there was no need for any "clear the air" talks with KTM.

“I already understand that I'm out of MotoGP, so I would like to change the chapter, come back from the summer break at the maximum and try to enjoy the last races at the maximum level.

“That's my target. I don't have to talk nothing with no one. I would like to come back strong after the summer. This is my real target.”

Maverick Vinales: Sachsenring Sprint lap times:

1. 1'25.030
2. 1'22.007
3. 1'21.743
4. 1'21.956
5. 1'22.396
6. 1'24.016
7. 1'22.878
8. 1'23.268
9. 1'22.943
10. 1'22.696
11. 1'22.578
12. 1'24.586
13. 1'22.557
14. 1'22.315
15. 1'23.194