“It’s a mechanical issue, not a rider issue”

Maverick Viñales claims his confidence is as strong as ever heading into this weekend’s MotoGP Japanese Grand Prix at Motegi.

That’s partly because of a mild uptick in recent form, but mainly because the Spaniard doesn’t believe Aprilia’s difficulties are anything to do with its riders.

Having dominated the Grand Prix of the Americas in April, the European season has proven unexpectedly tough going for Vinales and Aprilia Racing team-mate Aleix Espargaro. Neither has managed a Sunday podium since that third round.

But the last two Sundays have been better for Vinales, who scored sixth places in both the Emilia Romagna and Indonesia Grands Prix.

What will help Vinales take to the Motegi track with confidence is his conviction that Aprilia’s mid-season dip in form is due to the technical stagnation of the bike rather than his own form as a rider.

“When what’s holding you back is a mechanical issue and not a rider issue, your confidence stays intact,” he said.

“In terms of riding I am very happy with my performance. I’m riding better than I did in Austin, where I won.”

The Spaniard said that the RS-GP has not changed from the one that started the season: “We are working a lot on the braking. The bike is the same as it was at the beginning of the year.

“Maybe the points we focused on to improve the bike were not the right ones. We put in a lot of new parts that didn’t work. In terms of aerodynamics, Aprilia was hoping to make the same leap it made in 2022, when we added the side fairing that caused the ground effect. But that didn’t happen.”

Looking ahead to this weekend, the KTM-bound Vinales has set his sights on improving his Saturday performance. He hopes this will be the key to unlocking better results. He is aware that the last two Grands Prix could have been even better had he qualified higher than eighth and 10th respectively at Misano and Mandalika.

“I hope to continue with the progression of the last two races. We know that everything depends on qualifying. We’ve got to put our all into a fast lap.”