Maverick Vinales knows what to do to "achieve significantly more"
Categories: MotoGP
For the first time in his Aprilia career, Maverick Vinales was able to secure a podium finish at the Dutch Grand Prix in 2022. But he knows, the potential for a podium finish was there way earlier.
After making the switch to the Italian bike from Noale in the middle of the 2022 season, Maverick Vinales can now finally call himself a Aprilia podium rider. He is now part of an elite group of riders to have finished on the podium with three different manufacturers.
Your #DutchGP 🇳🇱 podium boys:
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 26, 2022
🥇 @PeccoBagnaia
🥈 @Marco12_B
🥉 Maverick Viñales#MotoGP pic.twitter.com/AuOXcj0m5i
“It is a consequence of our hard work. We have never stopped believing”, states the Spaniard after the Dutch Grand Prix. But despite the current success, Vinales knows, the podium should have come much earlier.
“We were already very strong in Austin, but unfortunately I only started 14th on the grid. We were also super strong at Mugello, Barcelona and the Sachsenring.”
However, even though being strong on race pace, the 9-time race winner hasn’t been able to perform the way he wished to. Fortunately, Vinales knows where the crux of the problem lies.
“I realized early on that my potential is enough for the top places, but I need to improve in qualifying. If I could start further at the front, we would achieve significantly more.”
Vinales goes even further into detail. According to him, his Aprilia is a little bad-tempered when using a brand new rear tire. “When using a new rear tire, I get a lot of understeer. This makes me very slow mid-corner.”
