Too Weak For The Aprilia? - Vinales: "In A Few Months I Will look Like A Beast"
Categories: MotoGP
Maverick Vinales arrived at Aprilia six races before the end of the 2021 season. His first full season with the Italians was promising, but still disappointing on the whole – Vinales believes he knows the reason.
After his inglorious departure from Yamaha during the 2021 season, Maverick Vinales soon joined Aprilia for the last six races of the season. In 2022, the Spaniard started his first full season for the Italian manufacturer.
Vinales during the November test in Valencia – Image provided by Motorsport Images
But Vinales was unable to match the performance of his teammate Aleix Espargaro in 2022. Although the Spaniard was on the podium three times, it was not enough for a Top 10 finish in the standings.
At the Sachsenring, the nine-time race winner failed due to a technical failure of his Aprilia. A week later in Assen, he made it onto the podium for the first time since his Yamaha days.
His first Aprilia podium 🥉
— MotoGP™🏁 (@MotoGP) June 26, 2022
What a race for Maverick Viñales as he secures P3 🔥#DutchGP 🇳🇱 pic.twitter.com/r2rmSj9Sgs
But Vinales was unable to match the performance of his teammate Aleix Espargaro in 2022. Although the Spaniard was on the podium three times, it was not enough for a Top 10 finish in the standings.
At the Sachsenring, the nine-time race winner failed due to a technical failure of his Aprilia. A week later in Assen, he made it onto the podium for the first time since his Yamaha days.
A second place in Silverstone and a third-place finish in Misano followed. However, nothing more came of it. Until the end of the season, Vinales did not manage more than a seventh place.
In the last three races, the Spaniard did not even score points. The 125cc World Champion from 2011 however thinks he knows the reason for his not-yet-perfect performance.
“I need more power to be faster in the changes of direction and stronger on the brakes. That would be a big help to me. The more you push this bike, the faster you are. But in the end, you simply reach a physical limit.”
To push his own limits, Vinales trains hard and lot. “I train extremely hard and in a few months I will look like a beast,” he jokes. But looking at the other side of the Aprilia garage, it’s not so easy.
Controlling one’s weight in relation to body size and physiology is crucial for the top riders to perform at their best.
As things stand, Vinales’ team-mate Aleix Espargaro is almost ten centimeters taller than the Spaniard but weighs only two kilograms more.
VInales admits: “I can’t get too bulky, otherwise I lose agility. So in the end I have to be the same weight as I am now. So the only way is to reduce my body fat and build more muscle.”
