Vinales: Montmelo test has returned good feelings

Maverick Vinales says the recent test at Circuit de Catalunya has provided a timely boost ahead of the Italian MotoGP after his “horrible” previous round at Le Mans for Movistar Yamaha.

The Spaniard’s frustrations spilt over at the French MotoGP after finishing a distant seventh place for the factory Yamaha squad and 18 seconds behind teammate Valentino Rossi. Having suffered with rear grip issues throughout the race at Le Mans and “trying to crash in every corner”, Vinales made it clear he demanded changes on his side of the garage.

Vinales appears to have found some timely set-up tweaks at the private MotoGP test at Circuit de Catalunya – which was resurfaced over the winter – and says he had “good feelings” which he is eager to apply at Mugello for this weekend’s Italian MotoGP.

“We're working our way through a difficult time,” Vinales said. “We lost some very important points for the championship in the earlier rounds but, even so, we won't give up and we'll continue working hard to get good results in the races to come.

“I've climbed up to second in the championship and that motivates me to keep working hard. After the difficult race in Le Mans we went to Montmeló for a test and there I felt good again with my bike, I had good feelings. Step-by-step we will get back to the top.”

Having finished as runner-up in the Mugello race 12 months ago, Vinales is positive for the Italian round as he feels it suits his riding style on the factory Yamaha.

“Mugello is a track that I like and where I've always had a lot of fun, and it's perfect for my riding style. We face the Italian Grand Prix optimistically and eager to find the perfect set-up for our bike.

“I'll try to fight for the victory, as I've always done in each race. I will give my 100% and will try not to disappoint our fans.”

Despite his disappointment at Le Mans down in seventh place, Vinales actually moved up to second in the current MotoGP riders’ standings after Andrea Iannone, Johann Zarco and Andrea Dovizioso all crashed out ahead of him.