Maverick Vinales addresses concerns about KTM adaptation
Spaniard urges calm after lowly Buriram day one test position
Maverick Vinales says he is not concerned about his current position in pre-season MotoGP testing on the KTM and believes his adaptation will come “like a click” eventually.
While the factory KTM duo of Pedro Acosta and Brad Binder were inside the top 10 at the end of day one of the Buriram test, Tech3 pairing Enea Bastianini and Vinales were 16th and 18th.
Bastianini told the media on Wednesday that he is struggling to adapt to the RC16 because he is still trying to ride it like a Ducati.
For Vinales, coming from three years on an Aprilia, he is having his own difficulties in adapting to the quirks of the KTM - but insists that it will all come together eventually.
“I think it’s a matter of giving time and believing the progress,” he said.
“It will for sure come one day, like a click, so we need to insist to keep improving and adapting to the bike.
“Right now we would like to be in another position, but we need to understand more and more the bike.”
Asked if this has been a tougher pre-season than expected, Vinales said: “No, I mean every pre-season as its own challenge.
“Probably we needed to focus on different things than in the previous years. It’s about the process. We need to enjoy and try to every day do a little step forward.
“Most of the things on the bike I like. It’s just I need to learn how to take the maximum from it. But it will come. I just need to do more laps.”
In terms of areas he needs to improve, Vinales says he is strong mid-corner and on the exit but hasn’t gotten to grips with the braking style required for the RC16 yet.
“In terms of apex and gas, I understand it quite well,” he explained.
“So, probably I’m on a really good level. But the way you need to brake is very different from all the previous manufacturers.
“So, it takes time, it doesn’t come easy.
“Then when you put on new tyres, everything becomes more difficult.
“So, it takes time to integrate into the system. I know very well, I’m used to it very well in the previous years. Just you have to remain calm and it will arrive.”
Quotes provided by Crash Indonesian Editor Derry Munikartono
