'Motivated' Vinales has faith in Qatar set-up

Defending Argentina MotoGP winner Maverick Vinales heads the 2018 event confident he will have 'many possibilities to win' after a set-up breakthrough in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix.

Still seeking the feeling that carried him to three wins in the opening five races for Yamaha last season, a late change allowed the Spaniard to carve forwards from 15th to 6th under the floodlights at Losail.

"I felt that in the last laps it was the Maverick as before. Pushing, getting faster and faster through all the race," Vinales had said. "We took the opposite direction to the test, we went harder in the front, different stiffness on the rear.

"Still I need more confidence with it, but the strongest point of the bike from last year came back again, which is the fast corners. Let's see at the next race. I'm confident that now the race pace is there. Now we have to improve other areas."

But can that set-up direction carry over to Termas de Rio Hondo? Vinales believes it will…

"I'm happy that we found a really nice set-up in Qatar, the team did a really great job during the last race weekend and now we are looking forward to this week's Grand Prix in Argentina," he said.

"I can't wait to race in Termas de Río Hondo, where I won the race last year - I felt really strong and confident. I hope to have the same feeling again, to fight for the victory.

"I really think that we can do a good job this weekend and that we will be at the front during the entire race, with many possibilities to win it. I'm quite motivated."