After leading for much of the race, Maverick Viñales found himself in trouble shortly after the halfway point and ended up being overtaken by three riders at Mandalika. A problem that he believes exists with his bike, in the way it «consumes» too much the tyres or at least it did so today, and which ended up making this particularly harder for him.
However, the Aprilia Racing spaniard said he was happy with the team: ‘I’m very proud of my team but we know we still need something more in terms of performance and that’s how you could see it: we started the race well, build it up until one-second lead, controlling it very well, but suddenly my tyre was gone and I couldn’t do anything else until I got to the box. I couldn’t fight back. We’re trying as hard as ever’.
For Viñales, it’s important to understand what’s happened to the RS-GP in this particular aspect: ‘I don’t think it’s because of the tyres, but because of our bike, which destroys the tyres. We have to understand why and improve it for tomorrow. At the start of the race I felt very good and I was riding conservatively, putting the tyres in the right place and then suddenly I lost all grip’.
And he said again that he was very happy with the work done: ‘We have to check that, but there’s nothing to complain about: we fought and this happens but that’s how it is and we have to move on and that’s why I say I’m proud of the team’.