Maverick Viñales has once again confirmed on the first day of the San Marino Grand Prix that he is in good shape. Viñales has been the best Aprilia in the combined classification; something that is beginning to be common, especially after Aleix Espargaró was injured in the last British Grand Prix.
The Spaniard recorded the sixth fastest time of the day, being the second non-Ducati in the table (only behind Fabio Quartararo, fifth). Aleix Espargaró finished right behind his wheel, in seventh place, less than five hundredths.
But, although the Ducati have once again proved unbeatable at Misano, Viñales is convinced that this could be a good weekend for the RS-GP. “It seems that a good opportunity is presented to us,” he declared as he got off the bike.
“We will have to be very smart and give our all throughout the weekend,” he added. ‘Mack’ is clear that they still have room for improvement, “especially in sector four”, and he sets himself the goal of finishing in the top three for tomorrow’s classification.
“Today’s times can be improved because the conditions have not been the best. It is not a question of the limit of the bike, but of the conditions. With the soft, we should have lapped half a second faster, which would have opened us up in second or third position.
Viñales also highlighted the leap forward compared to last season’s records. “Every time I feel better on the bike, and Misano is a track that I especially like,” he said. “It’s amazing how much you can improve in a year; in qualifying last year I did a 1m32.200s or something like that, and this year with mediums I did a 1m31.800s.”
“I’ve improved a lot, and I’m very happy about it.” Among the changes that have allowed it to improve so much, the greater “stability” of the bike stands out, especially “in the third sector”.
However, Maverick says that he has not yet found the limit with the Aprilia, and proof of this is that he is one of the few riders in the world championship who has barely touched gravel. “I have to push more,” he declared between laughs. “I haven’t found the limit yet with this bike, but I’m starting to see that I can go really fast in one lap.”
“Obviously, I’m going to have falls,” he clarified, “but I still have to find that limit.” “It’s very positive to see that, even without knowing where the limit is, I’m there and I can potentially fight to win races. I’m very happy with the work we’re doing with Aprilia.”
Regarding the rumors that point to a possible change in his team inside the box, Viñales declared that he had “no information” about it. “We’re very focused on the work we’re doing. You’ll have to ask Massimo [Rivola] that, because so far they haven’t told me anything.”
“Giovanni and I are working well, and the way of working is very good. For me at this moment it doesn’t make any sense to think about changing mechanics or engineers. I want to stay focused on the objective. We haven’t asked for any changes, because things are going very well.
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