Maverick Vinales admits he is unsure if he will be able to find a set-up “that works” for him on his Yamaha for the remaining races of the 2018 MotoGP season.
Vinales and teammate Valentino Rossi have struggled all year with poor acceleration and tyre consumption with the 2018 M1, with Vinales qualifying in 12th at Brno having come through Q1.
The Spaniard, who joined Yamaha stablemate Johann Zarco as the only rider to opt for the soft rear tyre on Sunday, was “enthusiastic” for the race after finding a set-up in warm-up, but was wiped out by Stefan Bradl at Turn 3 on the opening lap.
Despite feeling as if Yamaha made a step forward on Sunday morning, Vinales admits this was not “positive” as it should happen on a Friday, and is worried he will be unable to find a working set-up for the remaining races of the current campaign.
“A difficult weekend for sure, we found a set-up in the warm-up, I felt really good, so I was very enthusiastic for the race,” Vinales, now fourth in the standings and 72 points from the lead, said.
“Honestly, finding the set-up in warm-up isn't positive; we should do that on Friday.
“Anyway, it's like this. We need to keep working, focusing on the job and hope the bike is working better in Austria.
“I don't know, I don't know honestly. I don't know if I can find a set-up that works for me this year, because I've been struggling so much with the bike.”
Rossi: We found something good in test
Teammate Valentino Rossi was the sole factory representative for Yamaha during the post-race test at Brno on Monday, with Vinales being rested by the team following his lap one tangle.
The Italian – who was fourth in Sunday's race and maintains second in the standings, albeit 49 points adrift of Marc Marquez – focused on improving the M1's acceleration and its tyre management, and believes the team has “found something good”, though is wary of his struggles continuing at the Red Bull Ring this weekend.
“It was a good test because we have very hot conditions, very similar to the weekend, so we can try something else,” he said.
“We work for the acceleration, for the first touch of the throttle, and also for try to save the tyre for the race.
“We try different things, we found something good but we have to put all together.
“So unfortunately, at this moment, we were not able to improve the performance of Sunday, so I think for Austria the situation will be the same.”
Discussion about this post