Vinales tops day-one; ‘I didn’t expect to be that competitive and fast’

There was no doubting Maverick Vinales and his speed on day-one of the Dutch MotoGP, as the Spaniard returned to form in the best possible way. 

Following his first ever non-scoring MotoGP finish when completing a race, Vinales topped both FP1 and FP2 sessions at Assen. 

Vinales is the last man to win a MotoGP race at the Dutch circuit (2019), so it’s no surprise to see him on form, but given the last few rounds where inconsistencies continue to plague his time at Yamaha, this type of performance - albeit just Friday practice, is an important one. 

Speaking after the opening day, Vinales added: "Today went well. Honestly, I didn‘t expect to be that competitive and fast. When in FP1 I saw a 1‘33.0s with twenty laps on the tyre, I thought ’That‘s a fast lap time, honestly‘. 

"And this afternoon, I was cruising and trying to get a better understanding, so this 1‘33.2s was also good. 

"Basically, I found good grip on the bike, and I can do more or less what I want on track. 

"I can ride the lines I like, and that seems to pay off in the lap times."

Team-mate Fabio Quartararo had a slightly tougher day at the office, but was still third quickest overall. 

Yamaha have always gone well around Assen, so much so that Team Manager Massimo Meregalli said ‘it looks like it’s been made for it’. 

"We had a good first day at the Dutch GP weekend, it‘s just a shame that some of our work was cut short due to the sudden rain in FP2," added Meregalli.  

"During the dry track time in FP1 and at the start of FP2, we made positive first steps. The M1 suits the Assen track incredibly well, to the point that it looks like it‘s been made for it. 

"Our riders are both feeling very positive about their performance level, should we have all dry sessions this weekend. However, this is Assen… Here it can rain at any moment, like we saw today. 

"The showers in FP2 weren‘t predicted and it spoiled our plans to try various tyre options. But, on the bright side, once the track was fully wet, it at least gave Maverick and Fabio the opportunity to get a first feel for the new track surface in rainy conditions, whilst trying not to take any unnecessary risks."