Vinales 'ready to fight again'

After leaving Phillip Island empty-handed after a 'win-or-bin' last lap in Phillip Island, Maverick Vinales is 'ready to fight again' as he heads straight for Sepang in Malaysia this weekend.

The Monster Yamaha rider was quickest throughout free practice and qualifying in Australia, rising steadily to the top in the race before pulling clear of all but Marc Marquez.

The reigning champion finally attacked at the start of the final lap, with Vinales then lining up an all-or-nothing move into the MG Hairpin… But he arrived at Turn 10 already on the floor after losing control over the preceding Lukey Heights.

Vinales insisted he had no regrets, saying it was 'victory or nothing', and was fortunate that a poor race for Alex Rins means he is only seven points from the Suzuki rider in the fight for third in the world championship.

“We were very competitive last weekend on Phillip Island and used the race to learn," he said. "The consumption of the tyre was good and my pace too. The bike was working well, and the team did a great job all weekend, so we are ready to fight again in Malaysia now.

"Sepang is a track that I like a lot," added Vinales, who took Yamaha's only win of the season so far at Assen in June. "For sure it will not be easy because of the long straights, but we're very motivated as always.

"The temperatures in Sepang are always really high and that adds an extra difficulty, but we‘re ready. We had a good test at this track during the pre-season, and I‘ve been feeling good on the bike lately, so we will be trying hard to fight at the front again this weekend.”

Last year at Sepang it was Vinales' team-mate Valentino Rossi who fell from the lead, also while under pressure from Marquez.

Vinales was fifth and top Yamaha at February's Sepang pre-season test.