Ducati has been the dominant brand in this season’s MotoGP and today in Sepang there was another show from our strong the Desmosedici is, with seven bikes inside the top ten. Maverick Viñales, the tenth, was one of those who finish behind the (many) Ducati and said, after the Sprint race that ‘all factories have to wake up’ and improve.
The rider who was 10th, 7.241s from the race winner Alex Marquez, spoke of his qualifying and believes he can have a interesting long race this sunday: ‘It went well, better than I expected. Yes, the position is not what I want, because I want to be at the front. But the feeling was better. We tried something this morning with the rear suspension. Then I wanted to take it to qualifying to test it, because it’s something we’re taking out as a test for next year, and it went better. I didn’t have an amazing qualifying, but to come ninth here is good. I think we can have a good race tomorrow’.
He then spoke of the italian’s manufacturer dominance and said that it is crucial, not only for Aprilia, to make a step forward: ‘Seven Ducati, two KTMs and us. We have to be with the KTMs at least. At least there, we have to fight. And we are on the pace, so we’ll see tomorrow. I think the reading of all this is that the factories have to wake up. It can’t be that Ducati makes it single-brand. I think the others also have to realise that we have to improve’.
And concluded: ‘I feel much better with more distance, because I don’t have a lot of traction, but I don’t use a lot of tyre. I can use that to my advantage at the end of the race. But there are 7 Ducati there, with an incredible pace. I don’t know what to say… I’m waiting for them to come down in physicality or tomorrow they’ll use up the rubber and we’ll see how we get on. I did have pace at the front, I had Zarco, Marini, Bezzecchi… and little by little I was catching them, more and more. I’m riding very well’.