A happy Maverick Viñales opens 2021 with a victory. Specifically, “More aggressive when overtaking.” He doesn’t forget to praise Cal Crutchlow’s work
The first win of the 2021 season is signed by Maverick Viñales. A great start for the Yamaha rider, good at preserving the tires and then attacking at the right moment. Of course, the big problem is the not-so-optimal start. The impression is that we are facing a different, more aggressive and determined Viñales. For him, this is also due to the family situation (he got married recently and a baby is on the way). The feeling with the M1 is improving and he does not fail to congratulate the new tester Cal Crutchlow.
The start should have been better
“The race might have been even easier if I had started well at the beginning. We need to improve at the start.” Maverick Viñales admits the usual difficulties at the start, despite the countless tests seen. This fact affected his teammate and the Petronas duo as well. “Overall, I felt very good in the saddle. Congratulations to the whole team, we have prepared very well for this race. Of course, there is room for improvement for the next one because everyone will make progress. We are not yet in place, so we need to work.” He also explains the tactics adopted during the race. “Initially, I stayed behind Fabio [Quartararo], who was managing to close the gap with the leaders. I stayed there without taking risks in order to safeguard the tires.”
“Later, I managed to overtake him, Johann and Pecco. I made a small mistake when I passed him, but then I managed to take a good margin. Finally, I kept going while managing the tires too. I have a really good feeling on the front, I felt better than I expected. I rode very well and this gave me the opportunity to push.” The work is also on a personal level. “I changed my mentality. Here in Qatar, we worked to be quick in the changes of direction. But above all, I had to be more aggressive and I succeeded. Now we have to continue like this.”
A baby girl is on the way
In addition, as mentioned, to the beautiful family situation. His face lights up as he talks about this topic. “I have massive support, a perfect wife and a beautiful baby girl on the way, I couldn’t be happier.” Finally, he also praises the arrival of Cal Crutchlow in the role of test driver. “Cal allows us to focus more on what we need to do. We always had to try a lot of things, now we can think more about the race. We have a very similar style and we give the same feedback, I was very impressed. It is a very important fact, which helps us a lot. “