Vinales insists 2019 "much more positive" than last year
Yamaha MotoGP rider Maverick Vinales says his 2019 MotoGP season is "already much more positive" than last year, despite another early exit from championship contention.

Vinales currently leads Yamaha's efforts in fifth in the world championship standings, and has so far scored its sole win of the season - just as he'd done the year before.
He was officially eliminated from title contention after the latest race at Aragon, and has fewer than half the points of runaway championship leader Marc Marquez.
Nevertheless, both Vinales and factory teammate Valentino Rossi have been vocal about the strides Yamaha has taken in 2019.
And when asked by Motorsport.com ahead of the Thai GP whether the current season felt like a step forward despite a familiar championship picture, Vinales asserted: "Yes. For sure yes.
"Already it's much more positive, because we solved a lot of problems during the season.
"And somehow I feel we are growing up. Last season I felt sometimes [we were] going down instead of growing up.
"And I think this year all the steps we do is to be better, and you can see on the results, always [in] practice very consistent, and to get this consistency will get us a better bike, for sure."
Read Also:
Vinales had endured a poor start to the current campaign but bounced back with four podiums in the past seven starts.
He is in the hunt for third place in the championship, but says his goal for the rest of the season is regular podium appearances rather than any given world championship position.
"My main target is to be in the podium the next races, that's the first target. And I think it's the most clear target where we should focus.
"Finally the championship is difficult to focus [on], because we've been knocked out [of races] three times, many ups and downs during the season.
"But to get consistency and to finish the season on a really good level will give us a good confidence and for sure good momentum to try the new things [for 2020]."

Lorenzo expecting trade-off from front stability "sacrifice"
Promoted: Rossi, Marquez fan zones to debut at Phillip Island

Latest news
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