Misano poleman Vinales ‘doesn’t care’ about race result
San Marino Grand Prix poleman Maverick Vinales says “I don’t care about the result” of Sunday’s MotoGP race and simply wants to enjoy it after his recent struggles.
After back-to-back podiums in the opening rounds at Jerez in July, Vinales scored just eight points across the Brno/Red Bull Ring triple-header as he struggled on his Yamaha – and is yet to beat championship rival Fabio Quartararo on track in 2020.
His Styrian Grand Prix also ended in a frightening brake failure, which forced him to dismount at 140mph after it was later revealed he ignored Brembo’s advice to run a different braking system.
Strong all weekend at Misano as expected, Vinales smashed the pole lap record in qualifying with a 1m31.411s and backed up his one-lap pace with threatening race pace.
“The only thing I want is to enjoy,” Vinales said of his race prospects. “Honestly after these three bad races, especially the last one that I had quite big issues, I just want to enjoy. I will push from the first corner till the end.
“I don’t care about the result. I just want to enjoy a lot on the bike, to enjoy with my team and try to give them the best performance I can do.”
Quartararo could only manage third on the grid, having encountered a similar lack of front feeling as last year in qualifying.
“Like last year I felt so great in FP3, and qualifying last year it was exactly the same, no feeling from the front,” Quartararo explained. “In this kind of track with fast corners, if you don’t have a good feeling, you can’t really push like a real time attack. But really happy because still I managed the front row, it’s the most important thing.
“Last year we also finished in the same position and the pace is really good. I felt much better than last year on the pace and this is really positive.”
Valentino Rossi, who topped FP3 at Misano, felt Yamaha “needed” Saturday’s result following its difficult brace of Austria races.
“Here in this track the Yamaha is very competitive, very strong,” said Rossi, who qualified fourth for his home race. “We needed it. We needed to come back at the top, to fight for the top positions because the two weekends in Austria were very difficult to manage.”
Related video
Espargaro: Q2 crash a result of having to go through Q1
Morbidelli opens up on Spike Lee-inspired Misano helmet message
Why Honda and Yamaha have been left behind in MotoGP's new era
OPINION: The once all-conquering Japanese manufacturers are going through a difficult period in MotoGP this season. With Suzuki quitting, Honda struggling to get near the podium and Yamaha only enjoying success courtesy of Fabio Quartararo, Japanese manufacturers have been left in the dust by their European counterparts. This is why.
How in-form Quartararo is evoking Marquez in MotoGP 2022
OPINION: Fabio Quartararo has seized control of the 2022 MotoGP world standings after another dominant victory as his nearest rivals faltered. And he is very much heading towards a second championship echoing how the dominator of the last decade achieved much of his success.
Why Marquez's surgery is about more than just chasing on-track success
OPINION: Marc Marquez will likely sit out the remainder of the 2022 MotoGP season to undergo a fourth major operation on the right arm he badly broke in 2020. It is hoped it will return him to his brilliant best after a tough start to the season without a podium to his name. But it’s the human victory that will far outweigh any future on-track success he may go on to have
Why Ducati holds all the power in its MotoGP rider dilemma
OPINION: The French Grand Prix looks to have made Ducati’s decision on its factory team line-up simpler, as Enea Bastianini stormed to his third win of the campaign and Jorge Martin crashed out for a fifth time in 2022. But, as Ducati suggests to Motorsport.com, it remains in the strongest position in a wild rider market
The seismic aftershock of Suzuki's decision to leave MotoGP
Suzuki's sudden decision to leave the MotoGP World Championship at the end of the season has acted as a stirring element in a market that had already erupted. We analyse what this means for the grid going into 2023
How the real Ducati began to emerge in MotoGP's Spanish GP
Ducati’s 2022 MotoGP bike has had a tough start to life and the expected early-season title charge from Francesco Bagnaia did not materialise. But the Spanish Grand Prix signalled a turning point for both the GP22 and Bagnaia, as the 2021 runner-up belatedly got his season underway after a straight fight with Fabio Quartararo
How praise for Honda's MotoGP bike has given way to doubt
In a little over two months, Honda has gone from setting the pace in MotoGP testing with its new RC213V prototype to being at a crossroads - caused by the discrepancy in its riders' feedback. After a Portuguese GP that underwhelmed, serious questions are now being asked of Honda in 2022
Why Quartararo's win was vital not only for his title hopes
Fabio Quartararo got his MotoGP title defence off the ground in the Portuguese Grand Prix as a dominant first win of 2022 rocketed him to the top of the standings. While a significant result in terms of his title hopes, it has come at an even more important time in terms of his 2023 contract negotiations