Maverick Viñales parted ways with Yamaha in the middle of 2021 to join Aprilia in MotoGP, a risky move in which he switched from a manufacturer that was fighting at the front at that time to one that hadn’t yet strong results. The progress since his arrival is remarkable, culminating in the 1-2 finish at the Catalan GP.
In the post-race press conference, the Spaniard confessed that his teammate, Aleix Espargaró, was important to that decision that now is paying off: ‘Three years ago we were talking in his [Espargaró] motorhome. I was not sure to do it because at the end is always difficult to do a bet like that. I was with really good contracts, and at the end I bet on myself, I bet on Aprilia side. Of course Aleix had a lot of weight because at the end two good riders, two strong riders, can do much more than one and this is what we are doing: we are pushing the factory’.
And Viñales gave an example: ‘At the end you see how much we push the factory in Austria to bring something here for the start and they did it. That’s the good thing: they have a quick response. Step by step, I think we can dream and that’s good – so, so good’.