The year 2021 was not the easiest for Maverick Viñales, after a break with Yamaha that left multiple starters and after which he sought refuge and reunited with Aprilia . With them he disputed the last six races of the past world championship, and with them he starts this season from the beginning with the necessary confidence to make 2022 a championship that makes the disappointments of the previous one forget.
At the Premiere of ‘MotoGP Unlimited’, the documentary series from Amazon Prime Video and The Mediapro Studio that premieres on March 14, Motorsport.com was able to speak with the rider from Roses (Girona) to review how the pre-season tests went and how he faces the new year that will kick off next weekend in Qatar.
Question: In Sepang it could be suspected that Aprilia’s good pace was due to having done the Shakedown there, but in Malaysia you were also fast (8th in the combined), how did you feel after the preseason?
Answer: “The sensations have been more positive than we expected. We arrived at Sepang with last year’s bike and a completely new one. And that is always something very difficult. But from the first lap the bike was better and that was a sign very positive to continue evolving. In the end, a motorcycle that has very few kilometers already runs better than one that has been developed for a year”.
“I felt very good, especially in Mandalika. In Sepang I was going well, the times were fast and the race pace was very good, but in Mandalika I felt better. For me it is a season of feeling better race by race, and it is important because you are building everything and right now we are trying to create a very solid team to try to reach the goal”.
Q: How is training going with Fabrizio Maganzi, who also worked with Alonso? How has your routine changed?
A: “With Fabrizio and Aprilia we are trying to build a solid team where I only have to worry about getting on the bike and accelerating, and that’s what I really want, to worry about giving gas and nothing else. And with Fabrizio we work a lot the warm-up, he organizes me practically the whole day. I’m going to notice it more in the race than in the tests, but in the tests it was already a very good first contact and little by little to build”.
Q: Massivo Rivola has said that he is curious to see how you perform this year under pressure, what do you have to say?
A: “I really, really want to. I know very well what they have signed me for, so I am very happy. In the end I think Aprilia is doing a great job, last year Aleix did a spectacular job and this year I think that will even be stronger than the past. They know perfectly well that you have to develop a bike, one to reach the top, and above all make a bike that can win races. We are trying that, we are working against the clock because there are very few days of testing and the races are coming. Although luckily Aprilia has a bit of an advantage in that sense, because we have the concessions and more tests can be done, so this year is very important for them and for me too, to evolve and do well year”.
Q: Also, Rivola said something like with the perfect age you are, you’ll be with them as long as you want. Do you see in Aprilia the possibility of finding yourself again to have another opportunity in a bigger team?
A: “Honestly and I noticed it from the first day, I see something in Aprilia, I notice something. Otherwise, I would not have left, I would not have made the change. I see something that I like, and I am going to trust my instinct. Previously I didn’t follow it and I was wrong, but this time I’m going to follow it and I notice that there is a lot of potential. I know it, I know it perfectly. I’ve ridden the bike these days and I’m still not 100%, because I haven’t quite found… “I’m a bit lacking in the setting for the front of the bike, four nonsense electronics, but it’s there. We’re two, three tenths maximum, so I see a lot of potential in the bike.”
Photo by: Ducati Corse
Photo by: Ducati Corse
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo from: motosport.com
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: Aprilia Racing
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Photo by: MotoGP
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Foto de: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Q: Does Aprilia give you the serenity that perhaps you lacked at Yamaha?
A: “More than serenity, it’s something new. People really want to work, more than a job for them it’s a passion. In Aprilia you can see the passion for motorcycling, it’s a small team, it’s not very, very big , but there is a lot of quality within the team, there are people with a lot of quality, and that is good for a team, especially for a driver like me who needs to see that the others also give 100%, not just one person. important”.
Q: What goal and goals do you set for this season?
A: “My goal, and the main goal, goes far beyond the goals I had before. It’s to build a solid team, build a team with sincerity and trust, that’s paramount. And say things to each other, whether they’re good or bad. That’s important to grow and from what I’m seeing and I’ve experienced in testing, it’s what they’re trying to build, so I’m happy, I really think it’s something I need, and if the bike is going well or not You can fix it, but when you’re in that calm, collected state, I’m going to perform much better, and that’s what we’re getting.”
Q: Have you made it your priority to be the first to win with Aprilia?
A: “Every day, I think about it every day. And I’m already doing it, I’m seeing it. But Aleix is going to make it difficult for me, he’s strong. But in the end, everyone has their own path, we have different goals and I look forward to it.” , I see myself well, with potential, and I haven’t seen myself like this for a long time”.
Q: Do you think it will be more difficult to beat Aleix than when you were teammates at Suzuki?
A: “I don’t know, in the end, we’ll see. He has been with this bike for many years, he knows it very well. But you never know, I think that in the end it is a matter of feeling , of sensations, and the sensations are very good. And I’m also happy because I’ve recovered my second half of the race, especially in the tests, and it’s something I haven’t had for a long time, and with this bike I think I’m going to be able to take advantage of those good race finishes”.
Q: And the exits?
A: “In the end, the Aprilia is a motorcycle that comes out very well. They are very advanced with electronics, in the sense that they are very up-to-date, and with this bike it comes out easy. For me from Qatar, not even the start not even the first lap will be a problem. I have no problems with a full tank with this bike, on the contrary, it goes even better for me”.
