“Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales extends his incredible resurgence since Qatar with another Sprint win at COTA.”
Due to the somewhat ambiguous nature of a Sprint race, Maverick Vinales will not be officially credited with a MotoGP victory at COTA on Saturday.
Despite barely making it into the top ten at the Qatar opener, his second win (Sprint) in three race starts signifies Vinales’ most impressive streak of MotoGP results since his consecutive victories at the start of his Yamaha career in 2017.
The current factory Aprilia rider resumed his strong form from before the mechanical hiccup at the Portimao Grand Prix, showcasing front-running pace throughout the COTA practice sessions and securing pole position with a new lap record.
Vinales then dominated the Sprint race from start to finish, crossing the line 2.294 seconds ahead of Marc Marquez (Gresini Ducati).
“It’s incredible. We’re dreaming, but that’s life. You have to dream. It’s remarkable how much we’ve progressed in just one race because in Qatar, I didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and couldn’t be competitive,” Vinales stated.
“However, as soon as we made some adjustments to the bike, especially the weight balance, I felt amazing every single lap. We need to continue pushing. The position we’re in is quite special, so we should enjoy it, but we’ll aim for victory again tomorrow.
“I feel incredibly relaxed and a sense of relief from Portimao. It’s strange because you’re on the grid, yet not nervous. I’m confident, focused, and that’s the mindset I need to be quick.”
“Clearly, there are areas we need to enhance because tomorrow’s race is a long one, but physically I feel fantastic. I’m eager to push hard and keep hammering down,” Vinales added.
“But for now, I want to savor this victory because every person in the team deserves it immensely.”
If Vinales can clinch victory in Sunday’s full-length Grand Prix, it will mark his first MotoGP win since Qatar 2021 and officially establish him as the first rider to achieve premier-class victories on three different brands of bikes in the four-stroke era.
Teammate Aleix Espargaro secured the next best position for Aprilia in fifth place on Saturday, trailing the #12 by 6.6 seconds.
Stay tuned with We4GP for more news.
