Maverick Vinales says the set-up he is using on his works Yamaha MotoGP bike in the Qatar pre-season test is “so similar” to that he used during the 2018 Thailand Grand Prix weekend.
Yamaha enjoyed a resurgence in form from the Buriram race – in which Vinales was third – late last season, with Vinales going on to win the Phillip Island race three weeks later.
Fifth overall at the Sepang test, Vinales set the pace on Saturday in Qatar with a 1:55.051s, and says he “felt comfortable” on the M1, which he felt was the “most important thing” after struggling for confidence on the Yamaha for much of the 2018 campaign.
“To be honest, I'm still like in Buriram [with the set-up of the bike],” he said.
“Maybe a bit more spring [change], but the geometry of the bike is so similar, so I think on Sunday it's time to understand which way to go that's going to be important for the race.
“I'm really happy because I felt good on the bike, especially my riding style, I felt comfortable and that is the most important for me because last year I struggled to be comfortable on the bike.
“This year, in four different tracks, I felt quite comfortable and we could push a lot.
“I'm actually happy about how we work on Saturday. We didn't test many new parts, we tried just to focus on the main things, found some more grip and found the way to go.”
Rossi focused on race set-up on Saturday
With the season beginning in Qatar in two weeks' time, Vinales' fifth-placed team-mate Valentino Rossi opted to focus on race preparation.
Happy with his general pace, the Italian admits he is still to find the limit of the M1 in certain parts of the 3.34-mile Losail Circuit.
“The first day of testing was not so bad,” said Rossi.
“We work in a good way, in the end I finish in P5, which is quite good. We did different work here, because we work more for the grand prix.
“So we have to improve the setting of the bike, and the first feelings are not so bad.
“Already the laptime is quite good, I have some places of the track where I have to push more to bring the bike to the limit. But the first impression is quite positive.”
