Vinales: When I come racing it starts to be a nightmare, this is a problem
Maverick Vinales has been the man making all the headlines during this weekend’s Dutch MotoGP.
On-track, Vinales was extremely quick as he concluded a weekend that saw him finish five sessions fastest with a second place during today’s race.
While off-track, rumours of a move to Aprilia next season - which would mean breaking the two-year agreement with Yamaha, are believed to not only be real, but a foregone conclusion with an imminent announcement expected.
During the post-race press conference, Vinales gave little away when asked about Aprilia, however, the Spaniard didn’t squash the news either and instead said his current situation with Yamaha has become a ‘nightmare’.
"I think, for sure the benefit… It’s difficult to have benefit in a situation like this. I just get difficulties," added Vinales.
"Somehow I start to feel when I come to race that it starts to be a nightmare. I have for three years the same comments.
"I just want to take out the maximum, I just want to come racing to really race and give everything I have.
"Right now it’s difficult. When I come racing I just think what problem am I going to have this race? This is a problem."
Vinales was the pre-race favorite along with team-mate Fabio Quartararo who went on to win.
After losing three places at the start, Vinales encountered the same issues of not being able to overtake that have plagued his time with Yamaha, which left him with a four second gap to Quartararo when he eventually got to second place - helped by Francesco Bagnaia’s long-lap penalty.
Vinales said this about the persistent overtaking issues: "Yeah with our bike it’s so complicated to overtake. I just found myself behind Nakagami and was impossible.
"I don’t know! I don’t know what more to do; outside, inside... I didn’t find the way to overtake until he lose the traction.
"As soon as he lose the traction for me it was easy to overtake. Then, I tried to put a good rhythm.
"For sure I destroy the tyres a lot behind him, because sometimes you overheat the tyre, but I understand really well that when I get stuck there and I see Fabio [Quartararo] first, that this race is going to be very difficult.
"However, at the end of the race we were fast and this is the most important. We’ve been on the podium and yeah, I’m happy."
