Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales made the absolute most of his Yamaha‘s nimble character in the first three sectors of the MotorLand Aragón, but he couldn’t keep late chasing rivals at bay, finishing the race just off the podium in fourth place. Valentino Rossi was unable to mix in with the competitors in front. He rode a lonely race, taking eighth place.
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP‘s Maverick Viñales made the absolute most of his Yamaha‘s nimble character in the first three sectors of the MotorLand Aragón, but he couldn’t keep late chasing rivals at bay, finishing the race just off the podium in fourth place. Valentino Rossi was unable to mix in with the competitors in front. He rode a lonely race, taking eighth place.
Viñales lost just one position, from third to fourth, as he turned into the first tight left corner. He was stalking fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, knowing he could lap faster than him he was trying to figure out where to make his move. Once he did on lap 5, he was quick to put the pressure on Jack Miller next.
The local hero was pushing to the limit. With 16 laps to go he made a very brave move around the outside of Miller and then pulled away through Turn 10 and 11. Lying in second place with an over 4s gap to the front, Viñales mostly focused on maintaining the margin over the group of five riders behind him. Ultimately only Andrea Dovizioso and Miller were able to keep up. The number-12 rider did everything to fend off the chasing rivals but was unable to do so, finishing the race in fourth place 5.811s from first.
Rossi had a good start from sixth on the grid, maintaining his position, but was struggling to cut through the pack in the first few laps. He lost a place to both Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow and was unable to stay in the 1‘49s after lap 7 due to rear tyre degradation. It soon resulted in a lonely ride for the Doctor, with a 6s-gap to ninth and a growing gap to seventh.
Though the Italian didn‘t find a good rhythm in the latter stages of the race around the Aragon track, he put in a brave ride. Rossi maintained his eighth place as he brought his bike across the finish line. He took the chequered flag with a 23.623s gap to the front.
Today’s fourth place sees Viñales stay fifth in the championship standings, one place ahead of Rossi, with ten points between them. Yamaha remains third in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP also stay in third place in the team classification.
Viñales and Rossi next travel to the Chang International Circuit for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, held from October 4-6.
Viñales lost just one position, from third to fourth, as he turned into the first tight left corner. He was stalking fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo, knowing he could lap faster than him he was trying to figure out where to make his move. Once he did on lap 5, he was quick to put the pressure on Jack Miller next.
The local hero was pushing to the limit. With 16 laps to go he made a very brave move around the outside of Miller and then pulled away through Turn 10 and 11. Lying in second place with an over 4s gap to the front, Viñales mostly focused on maintaining the margin over the group of five riders behind him. Ultimately only Andrea Dovizioso and Miller were able to keep up. The number-12 rider did everything to fend off the chasing rivals but was unable to do so, finishing the race in fourth place 5.811s from first.
Rossi had a good start from sixth on the grid, maintaining his position, but was struggling to cut through the pack in the first few laps. He lost a place to both Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow and was unable to stay in the 1‘49s after lap 7 due to rear tyre degradation. It soon resulted in a lonely ride for the Doctor, with a 6s-gap to ninth and a growing gap to seventh.
Though the Italian didn‘t find a good rhythm in the latter stages of the race around the Aragon track, he put in a brave ride. Rossi maintained his eighth place as he brought his bike across the finish line. He took the chequered flag with a 23.623s gap to the front.
Today’s fourth place sees Viñales stay fifth in the championship standings, one place ahead of Rossi, with ten points between them. Yamaha remains third in the constructor standings, and Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP also stay in third place in the team classification.
Viñales and Rossi next travel to the Chang International Circuit for the PTT Thailand Grand Prix, held from October 4-6.
Maverick Viñales
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“I knew second place was possible today, so I pushed and pushed and pushed, but finally, in the last two laps, the tyre was very much on the limit. I tried my best. I nearly crashed two or three times because of the rear and thought ’OK, today I have to be fourth, that‘s the maximum‘. I‘m actually happy that I was very strong in the middle of the race. At the end I didn‘t have enough grip on the tyres to keep going, but I‘m once again the first Yamaha, which is important to us. I tried to close the door everywhere to Dovi, but in the end it was impossible, on the straight I stood no chance.”
Valentino Rossi
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“I knew yesterday it would be difficult to fight for the podium because three or four guys were faster than me, but today was worse because after some laps I had to slow down. I didn‘t have grip and I had some kind of problem with the tyres, it happened a little like it did in Silverstone. To me, it‘s not a problem of the tyres, it‘s our problem. We always struggle with the grip on the rear, and because of this lack of grip we also damage the tyre more, so in the end it was a very difficult race. It looks like everybody on the hard rear tyre had some problems, also the other Yamahas, but more towards the end. I started having problems earlier on. But I don‘t know if we could have done better on the soft, because during the practice the soft wasn‘t very good for our bike.”
Valentino Rossi
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team
“I knew yesterday it would be difficult to fight for the podium because three or four guys were faster than me, but today was worse because after some laps I had to slow down. I didn‘t have grip and I had some kind of problem with the tyres, it happened a little like it did in Silverstone. To me, it‘s not a problem of the tyres, it‘s our problem. We always struggle with the grip on the rear, and because of this lack of grip we also damage the tyre more, so in the end it was a very difficult race. It looks like everybody on the hard rear tyre had some problems, also the other Yamahas, but more towards the end. I started having problems earlier on. But I don‘t know if we could have done better on the soft, because during the practice the soft wasn‘t very good for our bike.”
Massimo Meregalli
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“It was an unexpectedly difficult race for us. Maverick and Vale suffered from rear tyre degradation. Valentino already at the beginning and Maverick later on, and in the latter’s case it cost him a podium. Losing a place on the rostrum on the last lap is of course very disappointing. During the practice sessions we never faced these tyre-drop problems, because the time we had didn’t allow us to do a long run. We don’t know if the change was due to the rain that fell yesterday, but anyway it is what it is. It is difficult to accept these results, because we were strong in all the sessions, so finishing off the podium isn’t in line with what we were expecting. Still, compared to last year, our performance over the weekend shows that we are consistently improving, but that said, we still have work to do.”
Massimo Meregalli
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team Director
“It was an unexpectedly difficult race for us. Maverick and Vale suffered from rear tyre degradation. Valentino already at the beginning and Maverick later on, and in the latter’s case it cost him a podium. Losing a place on the rostrum on the last lap is of course very disappointing. During the practice sessions we never faced these tyre-drop problems, because the time we had didn’t allow us to do a long run. We don’t know if the change was due to the rain that fell yesterday, but anyway it is what it is. It is difficult to accept these results, because we were strong in all the sessions, so finishing off the podium isn’t in line with what we were expecting. Still, compared to last year, our performance over the weekend shows that we are consistently improving, but that said, we still have work to do.”
Maverick Viñales
Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP Team