Метка: Maverick Viu00f1ales

Bezzecchi critical of Vinales response to Phillip Island sprint crash


Marco Bezzecchi says he was unimpressed by Maverick Vinales showing him the middle finger as he lay motionless on the ground after the pair collided at high speed in Saturday’s sprint race at the Australian Grand Prix.

After being taken for additional medical checks in Melbourne on Saturday evening, during which time Vinales made his frustration towards the VR46 Ducati rider clear in the media, Bezzecchi only made his first comments following Sunday’s grand prix.

«I didn’t like his behaviour immediately after the crash,» said the three-time grand prix winner.

«If it was the other way around, I would go to check how the other rider is instead of showing the middle finger and saying f*** to me many times after we crash at 300km/h.»

The stewards took Vinales’s side regarding the incident itself, issuing Bezzecchi a long lap penalty for the grand prix on Sunday.

Subsequent to taking the punishment, Bezzecchi fell off and dropped out of contention, reporting that he was riding in pain following the crash.

Bezzecchi disagreed with Vinales’s version of the collision on the high-speed entry to the Doohan corner.

«Yesterday was a strange situation. Maverick passed me on the straight with the slipstream….then my bike was moving to the left so to get back I had to lean the bike whilst still on the straight. The wind was pushing me to the outside kerb.

«The problem was that as I did this Maverick put himself exactly in front of me under braking.

Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team

Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«He braked early. You can see from the video that he braked, then released, then braked again. When you brake at the right point, you don’t release the brake.

«I was already moving to the right to avoid going on the outside kerb. When I saw him I tried to continue to go to the right but I got sucked by the slipstream. I couldn’t do anything to avoid the contact.

«I understand that it was a difficult decision. Normally the guy behind is the one who [gets the blame]. But for example last year in Qatar with Pecco [Bagnaia] and Fabio di Giannantonio and in Valencia with [Jorge] Martin and Pecco it was completely the same.

«[Those situations were] just another type of corner, a little bit slower, a little bit less windy, a little bit less Phillip Island style.

«It’s a situation that could have happened often, but fortunately for the others, they were able to avoid disaster.

«Anyway, what I didn’t really like was Maverick’s behaviour but as far as the penalty is concerned, I don’t care. I don’t complain. I did my long lap.»

Read Also:

Aprilia rider Vinales did not want to comment further on the issue on Sunday, but was satisfied with the penalty given to Bezzecchi.

«The stewards needed to set down a mark. They set down a mark so that’s fine.»

Vinales finished the grand prix in eighth place after once again dropping back from the front row of the grid.



Source link

Fixing braking performance key to Aprilia returning to the front


Maverick Vinales believes improving the braking performance will be «key» in catapulting Aprilia near the front of the MotoGP grid.

Americas GP winner Vinales made that comment after the start/stop nature of the Red Bull Ring exposed a major weakness of the RS-GP, with both him and team-mate Aleix Espargaro struggling to slow down the bike as effectively as their rivals.

The Spaniard explained that he couldn’t transfer the weight of the bike to the front tyre under braking, an area where the class-leading Ducati GP24 has been particularly strong.

«Especially in these kinds of tracks where brakes are everything, we are struggling a little bit, especially to stop the bike,» he said.

«We know we need to improve the braking area, especially [on the] back straight we need to improve this power to stop the bike.

«It depends upon how you load the front tyre, so probably still we are not loading [it] in the correct way.

«You can see the Ducatis, they are all the time really loose on the rear, so they can make stopping really easy going to the brakes.

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Enea Bastianini, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«Looks like our bike, when you brake, the downforce is pushing you all the time to the ground [and] not doing the [weight] transfer. We are trying to understand if that is the problem but it takes time.

«This morning [in warm-up], I was trying to transfer everything to the front and less on the rear and it was impossible.

«Now we need to understand how we need to load the front tyre because the key to be back in the front [in MotoGP] is that.»

Espargaro’s race in Austria was compromised to the point that he felt he had «no brakes» at all, finishing ninth and two spots behind Vinales.

The 35-year-old was classified almost 29s down on race winner Francesco Bagnaia, losing more than a second per lap on average to the factory Ducati rider.

«I [felt like I] had no brakes from the beginning,» he said. «Apart from the pressure and the temperature of the front tyre, the temperature of the carbon [disc] was completely over the limit.

«We set a new record and I had no brakes for all race. I just tried to stop the bike with the rear, but it was a shame. I was very slow.»

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

There is an urgency in the Aprilia camp to recover from its recent dip in performances, with company CEO Massimo Rivola admitting that the manufacturer must be doing something wrong in MotoGP.

The Noale factory brought out a major upgrade to the RS-GP for the start of the season, focusing primarily on aerodynamics, allowing Vinales to win the third round of the season in Austin. However, both Vinales and Espargaro have found the going tough in recent races, with KTM now just 14 points behind it in the standings.

Read Also:

Asked if Aprilia’s increasing reliance on aero was having an unintended consequence on braking, Espargaro said: «Yes, in our system, everything is very, very close. Normally we are the ones with higher front tyre pressure and front [tyre] temperature.

«This is the reason why in Silverstone I was able to use the hard front and I was the only one because I put [in] a lot of temperature. So in colder races, this is an advantage.

«But when we have this track temperature, it’s a big, big problem. No brakes at all. The carbon was completely over the limit with the biggest disks. So the design, there we have to change.»



Source link

Silverstone MotoGP disaster “woke up people” at Aprilia


Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales says a disastrous run for him and team-mate Aleix Espargaro in MotoGP’s British Grand Prix “woke up people” at the Italian marque.

The Silverstone weekend highlighted Aprilia’s struggles in race trim as Vinales dropped from eighth to 13th at the finish with heavy tyre degradation and Espargaro likewise slumped to sixth behind a quintet of Ducatis after starting from pole.

The result was particularly a disappointment for Aprilia as the 5.9km circuit usually plays into the strengths of the RS-GP, with Espargaro famously winning last year’s race despite stern opposition from Ducati.

The Noale factory has had a little under two weeks to analyse what went wrong in Britain this year and try to understand why it is struggling to replicate its early season form.

Vinales claims that Aprilia remains a potent challenger in qualifying and sprint on softer tyres, as vindicated by Espargaro’s pole at Silverstone, but its pace in grands prix is now becoming a serious cause for worry.

“Obviously Silverstone started some alarms because it is a track where usually we should be on the podium,” said the Spaniard.

“So being that [far] at the back and with a lot of problems takes you a bit under consideration if you are approaching the weekend in a correct way or treating the tyres in the correct way.

“It seems the bike is very different to last year, and somehow in the beginning of this season, I don’t know if because of the tarmac or however, it was much easier to take out the maximum performance in the race.

“Now it seems complicated because in quali we are very fast, in sprint race we defend ourselves, but on Sunday it’s hard to be competitive.

“So we need to understand why, because in the first few races we have been very competitive on the Sunday of the weekend.”

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Aprilia remains the only manufacturer to beat Ducati in 2024 after the opening 10 rounds of the season, courtesy of Vinales’ success in the US Grand Prix back in April.

Since then the Borgo Panigale marque has pulled away from the opposition, particularly with the latest-specification GP24, leaving even podiums as an unlikely outcome for rivals.

Vinales hopes this weekend’s Austrian GP will start to provide some answers about its loss in form and help the factory return to the front later in the year.

“From my point of view, especially from my side, I become less competitive because I was able to win races [previously], even though they were [against] the Ducati ’24,” said Vinales, who also won the sprint race prior to his double triumph in Austin.

“For sure, Silverstone woke up a little bit the people because it was a race where we should be in a really good position and it was one of the worst weekends of the season so far, so we need to understand.

“I think Austria is a good track to start to understand. Everyone is working, is positive and we will try to be back where we started the season.”

Read Also:

Michelin has introduced a new tyre specification in MotoGP this year, which has been key to riders breaking lap records at a wide variety of circuits, with Aprilia also able to benefit from the new rubber.

But while the GP24 is able to extract more and more pace out of the new rear tyre with every round, the RS-GP has struggled in this regard — contributing to its decline in performance.

Espargaro said that even though Aprilia has made a massive step forward compared to last year, he is baffled that he wasn’t able to convert pole positions into strong results at both Barcelona and Silverstone.

“This is why we are a little bit in shock, because we don’t understand why [we drop so far behind Ducatis],” he said.

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“We are fast, the bike is competitive, but we don’t understand why we can’t match at races like Barcelona and Silverstone where I felt I was strongest [but] I arrived with 10 seconds in the race. It’s difficult really to understand.

“I was very very strong, very fast in terms of speed but the maximum we could reach was sixth. And I was a lot faster in the race than the rest of the Aprilias, the KTMs, the Yamahas, the Hondas, but we were very far [from the front].

He added: “I don’t think there is just one thing [that is making the difference], but they stop the bike better than us and they are able to do the pick up without destroying the tyre.

“We have to ride a little bit more with the throttle, which is good in terms of pure speed on pole position with the soft tyre, but with tyre consumption it’s not the best. We are seeing on race day it’s difficult to match.”

Additional reporting by German Garcia Casanova and Gerald Dirnbeck



Source link

Aprilia’s situation getting «worse and worse» in MotoGP


Maverick Vinales says Aprilia’s situation in MotoGP is getting «worse and worse» with every round after a disastrous run for him in the British Grand Prix.

Struggling with heavy degradation on medium tyres on his RS-GP, Americas GP winner Vinales slid from eighth on the grid to a measly 13th place, his worst result of the 2024 season.

His team-mate Aleix Espargaro dropped from pole position to finish sixth in Britain, almost 10 seconds down on race winner Enea Bastianini on the factory Ducati.

Aprilia’s poor showing last weekend was made to look worse by the fact Espargaro had won the race exactly 12 months ago, while the RS-GP had also looked rapid in the early part of the year with both its factory riders at the wheel.

The decline in Aprilia’s form in recent races is a matter of concern for Vinales, who urged the Noale-based marque to find a solution to reverse its fortunes in MotoGP.

«It’s difficult to accept the result. Honestly, it’s not what we are looking for,» he said. «We need to understand that there is something missing because the degradation of the rear tyres is not even normal, so we must understand why in the last four races we haven’t been at the level we need to be in.

«The tyre after six laps was completely gone. I passed from 1m59s to 2m01s. So we need to understand what is causing this tyre consumption because I never pass the speed limit in all the race trying to control [the pace].

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«It’s true that in the sprint sometimes I was able to fight, but as soon as we put the medium tyre on [in the race], we were really just trying to cruise and [we were] not really really strong.

«So it’s important for the factory to try to stop a little bit and think how we can reverse this situation because it’s getting worse and worse. We need to see how to get up again.»

Sunday’s race at Silverstone saw Ducati sweep the top five positions as it extended its advantage over its rivals in MotoGP. Espargaro and Tech3’s Pedro Acosta were the only non-Ducati riders to finish inside the top 10 in the British GP, highlighting just how far ahead the Borgo Panigale marque is at present.

However, Vinales believes the result is more an indicator of Aprilia moving backwards in the pecking order rather than Ducati making a big leap with its Desmosedici bikes, as he highlighted RS-GP’s trait of eating its tyres too quickly

«It seems that somehow we lost quite the way to be competitive,» said the Spaniard, who remains the only rider to beat Ducati to a grand prix victory in 2024.

«I don’t think Ducati improved, we lower[ed] the potential and we need to get back again.

«I’m trying to understand what we are missing but to be honest it’s hard because I’m riding the bike on the limit, but the lap time and the way we are treating the tyres is wrong.»

Vinales also pointed to a drop in his own pace on the Aprilia, stressing how he was slower in this year’s British GP qualifying compared to 2022, when he qualified on the front row.

However, while his own team-mate Espargaro broke the Silverstone lap record in qualifying, it must be noted that MotoGP moved back to the Formula 1 layout in 2023, with the lap now starting at the Hamilton Straight adjacent to the Silverstone Wing.

«It’s hard to say but I don’t think they [Ducati] did a big step, to be honest, it’s just we slowed down,» he said.

«I’m not riding the fastest I can ride. We got down in our level because in ’22 I did 57.7 [actually 1m57.865] in the quali and this year I did a 58.1 and then crashed, so this is not normal.

«For sure we are slowing down and we need to regain that potential that we had in the initial part of the year. We need to see how, I don’t know why, but we need to see how.»

Read Also:



Source link

Vinales can’t «comprehend» Aprilia’s disappearing MotoGP practice pace


Maverick Vinales has conceded he can’t «comprehend» how Aprilia goes from running at the front in Friday practice to being 10 seconds off the pace over the course of a MotoGP race weekend.

Since Vinales’s emphatic victory in the Americas Grand Prix in April, Aprilia is yet to add another podium finish to its tally and is fighting to remain second in the manufacturers’ standings with KTM.

In last weekend’s German Grand Prix, the RS-GP looked rapid on Friday as Vinales broke the Sachsenring lap record in FP2, but come race day it was a completely different story for the Noale-based brand as the Spaniard could only salvage a 12th-place finish after running off the track in the early laps.

Trackhouse duo Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez also slipped down the order after qualifying on the front row behind polesitter Jorge Martin (Pramac), ending up sixth and 10th respectively after the 30-lap race.

Speaking afterwards, Vinales expressed his disappointment at Aprilia’s lack of race pace, as his mistake on lap 7 didn’t account for the entire 18s deficit he faced to race winner Francesco Bagnaia on the factory Ducati.

«It’s a few races that we are not on the level where we want to be and somehow, on Fridays, we are able to arrive on the limit and then it’s hard to go over it. It’s very hard. It’s very difficult. We need to understand why,» said Vinales, who was the only factory Aprilia rider in action after Aleix Espargaro’s withdrawal.

«On Friday it looks like you can fight in the race and then you are 10 seconds away in the race.

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«I lose at least 12 seconds or more with all the problems, but still I would be six seconds [behind], not fighting with them. It’s interesting to understand.

«I see Miguel’s race also. It looks to me that Miguel had the chance to fight to win the race, also in the morning[warm-up, he was quick]. Then you see [he finished] 10 seconds [behind]. It’s hard to understand, to comprehend.»

Vinales noted that the RS-GP has been struggling to replicate its sheer pace while running in a pack of bikes, saying: «It’s just that the behaviour of the bike is very different when you are in a group and when you are alone.

«I don’t know if we need to approach the weekend in a different way, try to understand more the bike when I’m riding with the group.»

Vinales revealed that the behaviour of the RS-GP varies lap by lap and a software issue could explain why he is lacking the consistency he needs in order to feel confident on the bike.

«It’s the electronics that change a little bit, we don’t understand why,» he said.

«The tyres were very constant, they were working well. [On Saturday] I had a few more issues but no, no, when I was alone, I could do low 1[m]21[s laps] on the rhythm which I think was quite competitive.

«Then suddenly the rear breaks, suddenly I have a lot of wheelie, so we need to try to understand why the bike has this behaviour — one lap, yes, one lap, no. It makes it really unpredictable what you are gonna find out.

«So we need to understand why it’s working one lap one way, then another lap another way and, when I try to attack on brakes, it works a little bit different. so we really need to understand this.»

Read Also:



Source link

Tech3 «will have two number ones» in Vinales, Bastianini in MotoGP 2025


Tech3 KTM team boss Herve Poncharal says fielding Maverick Vinales and Enea Bastianini will see him have «two number ones» for the 2025 MotoGP season.

As first reported by Motorsport.com last week, KTM announced it had signed Bastianini from Ducati and Vinales from Aprilia to join the Tech3 satellite squad next year.

This comes as Bastianini will be replaced by Marc Marquez at the factory Ducati team next year, while Vinales’ signing with KTM follows Aprilia’s big-money grab of current championship leader Jorge Martin.

Tech3 is enjoying a strong year as KTM’s GasGas-branded satellite structure courtesy of star rookie Pedro Acosta’s four podiums so far after seven rounds. The 20-year-old will replace Jack Miller at the factory KTM team next season.

But team-mate Augusto Fernandez has scored just 13 points to Acosta’s 101, while KTM will realign its MotoGP strategy to field four KTM-branded factory bikes in 2025.

As far as Poncharal, who has fielded a number of strong riders over the years, Bastianini and Vinales – who between them have 15 grand prix victories – represent the most rounded line-up he has had.

«2024 is already shaping up to be a dream for Tech3,» Poncharal told Speedweek.

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: MotoGP

«Thanks to Pedro, we have been able to show our strength and accelerate the entire project together, around the RC16. 

«We have reached a new stage. There will be a bit of melancholy for not having Pedro in our garage anymore, but we will have a team that never we have had in our history.

«We have always had very good riders, and I still have great respect for each and every one of them.

«But we have never seen this association of two leading riders, winners in MotoGP, with us. We will have two number ones in 2025.»

Poncharal went on to add that he believes both Bastianini and Vinales can win races on the RC16.

Vinales holds the distinction of being the only rider in the modern MotoGP era to have won grands prix on three different motorcycles (Suzuki, Yamaha, Aprilia).

Read Also:



Source link

Vinales makes Tech3 KTM MotoGP switch alongside Bastianini for 2025


As revealed by Motorsport.com on Wednesday, the Spaniard will end his three-year stint with Aprilia, which has yielded one grand prix victory in Austin this year and a total of seven podium finishes.

He will join the structure currently managed by Tech3 and KTM’s parent company Pierer Mobility Group, which currently competes under the GasGas banner, but will be rebranded under the KTM marque.

As announced previously, Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta will race in the factory team, while KTM will supply four factory bikes between its two teams.

«We’re very happy we could bring both Enea and Maverick into our MotoGP project and give them full factory backing and support to keep following their goals and to reach their maximum performance,» Pit Beirer, KTM motorsports director, said.

«It’s clear we are talking about two of the fastest riders in the world right now and it is a compliment that they trust us and the first-class operation we’ve created together with Red Bull KTM Tech3.

«The team’s label for 2025 says it all: it is time to strengthen the KTM name again and we couldn’t think of a better way to bring this kind of value to the company than for Enea and Maverick to go full Red Bull orange.»

Maverick Viñales, Red Bull KTM Tech3, Pit Beirer, KTM

Maverick Viñales, Red Bull KTM Tech3, Pit Beirer, KTM

Photo by: KTM Images

With Vinales heading to KTM, it means Aprilia will lose both its current factory riders, with Aleix Espargaro having already announced his MotoGP retirement at the end of the year.

Motorsport.com understands he will move to Honda in a test rider role next year.

Initially, Vinales’ intention was to explore the possibility of extending his contract with Aprilia, which handed him a reprieve in 2021 following his acrimonious split from Yamaha. However, the Noale-based brand preferred to wait for Espargaro to decide his future, before sitting down with Vinales to negotiate a contract.

But the MotoGP rider market was shaken up after the Italian Grand Prix when Aprilia announced it had signed Jorge Martin from Pramac, after Ducati picked Marquez as Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate for 2025-26.
It remains to be seen who will now occupy the second factory Aprilia spot next year alongside Martin, although current VR46 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio Di Giannantonio are seen as the most likely candidates.



Source link

Maverick Vinales set for KTM MotoGP switch


The Spaniard will bring the curtain down to his three-year stint with Aprilia, which has so far yielded one grand prix victory in Austin this year and a total of seven podium finishes.

He will join the structure currently managed in tandem by Tech3 and KTM’s parent company Pierer Mobility group, the team which currently competes under the GasGas banner.

As announced previously, Brad Binder and Pedro Acosta will race in the factory team, although KTM intends to put four identical bikes on track this year between its two teams.
With Vinales now poised to join KTM, it means Aprilia will lose both its current factory riders, with Aleix Espargaro having already announced his decision to retire from MotoGP at the end of the year. Motorsport.com understands he will move to Honda in a test rider role next year.

Initially, Vinales’ intention was to explore the possibility of extending his contract with Aprilia, which handed him a reprieve in 2021 following his acrimonious split from Yamaha. However, the Noale-based brand preferred to wait for Espargaro to decide his future, before sitting down with Vinales to negotiate a contract.

Things took a turn on Monday after the Italian Grand Prix when Aprilia announced it had signed Jorge Martin from Pramac, at great expense, after Ducati chose Marquez as Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate for 2025-26.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing

Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: MotoGP

It remains to be seen who will not occupy the second factory RS-GP at Aprilia, although current VR46 riders Marco Bezzecchi and Fabio di Giannantonio are seen as the most likely candidates. 

Born in 1995, Vinales debuted in the World Championship in 125cc in 2011 and won the Moto3 title two years later, achieving up to 12 victories in his three years in the minor class. Entry-level category.

After a single season in Moto2 in 2014 which yielded four victories and a best finish of third in the standings, he made the leap to top category as an official Suzuki factory rider in 2015.

He went on to record his maiden MotoGP win for Suzuki in 2016 before moving over to Yamaha.

In his debut with the Iwata marque, replacing Jorge Lorenzo and as Valentino Rossi’s team-mate, Viñales won his first two races, in Qatar and Argentina, and the fifth, in France. 

Between 2018 and 2021 he added five more race wins to his tally, although it wasn’t enough to fight for the title.

In mid-2022 he decided to leave Yamaha, before being dropped following an unpleasant incident in Austria, which then led to his switch to Aprilia.

In 2025, and in his eleventh season in the premier class, Vinales will compete for a fourth different manufacturer.

Read Also:



Source link

Vinales denies 2025 Aprilia deal done amid “open doors” on MotoGP grid


The 10-time grand prix winner has been with Aprilia since the latter half of the 2021 campaign, following his acrimonious split with Yamaha that year, and has become a firm favourite with management.

Aprilia’s faith in Vinales paid off earlier this year in America when he scored his first grand prix win with the Italian manufacturer.

It has been thought for a while that Vinales’ Aprilia future is likely fairly secure, with this only boosted by Aleix Espargaro’s announcement last week that he will retire at the end of 2024.

During the Catalan GP weekend, three-time MotoGP world champion Jorge Lorenzo interviewed Rivola, who told him Vinales’ 2025 renewal was “confirmed”.

But Vinales, who struggled to 12th at the Catalan GP, denied this when speaking to Motorsport.com. “No, no, I’m not confirmed. I don’t have a contract for next year,” he said.

“Obviously there is a lot of interest in continuing [with Aprilia] because we are doing a very good job, but I look at today [Barcelona], Le Mans or Jerez and you have to wait. You have to wait.

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

“There are open doors and you have to wait a little bit and decide what’s best for me in terms of performance.

“I want to win, honestly, and I think I have the ability to be able to fight to win, and I have to take a good look at what’s the best option.

“What is the most complete, what is the package that will give me the best option, the maximum to exploit my best level.”

Over the Catalan GP weekend, Rivola hinted to motogp.com that Aprilia’s interest in replacing Espargaro was with an Italian rider.

Enea Bastianini, who is set to lose his factory Ducati seat for 2025, has been linked in recent weeks to Aprilia, while Rivola also mentioned Marco Bezzecchi’s name to Lorenzo.

“After Saturday’s race, I asked him [Espargaro] if he was sure, if he really wants to retire. But he told me that the decision has been made,» said Rivola.

“We have to wait for Ducati to make its decision. Then there may be interesting Italian riders left, like Enea Bastainini or Marco Bezzecchi.”

Read Also:

Watch: Time for the Italian GP in MotoGP



Source link