Vinales: I saw big changes, feeling much better

A lot can change in a week. In a little over seven days, Maverick Viñales believes the mood within his team has turned for the better, with the Catalan claiming he has witnessed “big changes in the team … the feeling was much better.”

After a disastrous French Grand Prix, where he finished a distant seventh, Viñales said, “in that moment, I didn't feel happy, I didn't feel supported.” He intimated his displeasure at the inner-workings on his side of the box, leading some to speculate he was considering a change of personnel.

But this was not the case, he explained. Rather a clear the air meeting was held in France, in which he saw, “Everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to try to see this bike at the top. I hadn't seen this for a long time.”

He and Movistar Yamaha then joined the majority of the MotoGP grid for a one-day outing at the Circuit of Catalunya, where he topped the timesheets and felt greater confidence on the front end of his M1.

“I saw that the people were satisfied with the work we did, it was a long time since I saw satisfied faces from Ramon [Forcada – crew chief], from our side,” he said.

“Well after the Le Mans race I was so disappointed,” said Viñales on Thursday. “I thought in that track I could supply what the bike needs with my riding style, and it was impossible to do it. And honestly, I was watching the race and it was a disaster for me, for my riding style, for my feeling.

“The good thing is that after Le Mans we made some meetings, I needed to see in the people the fire I saw two years ago when I started here. Everyone wanted to win, everyone wanted to try to see this bike at the top.

“I hadn't seen this for a long time, and in Montmelo somehow I saw it, and when we finished the test and we could finish on the top by riding quite well and riding quite consistently, I saw in the face of the people the smiles, they were quite satisfied.

“And it's been really a long time since they were really satisfied. So it's been a pleasure to see your whole team satisfied, and honestly giving the best.”

Asked about the rumours in the Spanish press that had hinted he was keen to replace current crew chief Ramon Forcada, Viñales admitted their relationship had been strained in France.

Subsequent meetings – and the positive test in Barcelona – appears to have shifted that feeling, however.

“Well, you always try to find the best and try to do the best for yourself. I think in that moment [after Le Mans] it was difficult for us, for our relationship with Ramon, because things were not going.

“And I am the kind of rider that for me, the feelings with the people in the box are very important. I need to feel they are covering me, they are supporting me, and I need to feel happy. And in that moment, I didn't feel happy, I didn't feel supported.

“So I tried to find the best for me in that case. But as I said, in Montmelo I saw big changes in the team, and the feeling, more about outside the bike, the feeling was much better. The whole team was more close, and for me this is more important than the bike.

“The teamwork, that you are close to all the people, that when you have a bad day, these people will try to lift you up, and I think as I said, when I finished the test and I saw that the people were satisfied with the work we did, it was a long time since I saw satisfied faces from Ramon, from our side. That was great. I think it was a big point of change.”

On how his feeling with the bike improved, Viñales added, “I'm one of the lightest riders in the championship, and one of the smallest. Valentino is much heavier than me, so maybe he can load the tyres better.

“We were losing a lot on the entry of the corners, so somehow I could not ride the bike, it was impossible for me. Not with the strength, because I have the strength and power to ride the bike, but to load the tyres, to warm properly the front tire especially, because I didn't warm the front enough.

“So the changes we did in Montmelo helped me a lot in the front tire, more than in the rear. It gave me a lot of confidence to push, especially on the entry of the corner, and in the brakes

“I think it was to move the weight position a little bit towards the front, but without losing the rear grip. So in that area, I think we did a really big step, because from the morning, even in the cold conditions I was struggling so much.

“Then when we made that change it was nearly the hottest moment of the day, and with used tires I could ride like with new tires in the morning. So it seems that we did a really big step.”