Vinales: A small change and I improved by one-second

After a best of eighth place in his late 2021 appearances on the RS-GP, following the Yamaha split, Vinales was a closer match for team-mate Aleix Espargaro during winter testing.

But once racing began, at Qatar and then Mandalika, Vinales dropped away from Espargaro with 12th and 16th place finishes compared to 4th and 9th for his team-mate.

"When I was in the test in Sepang, I had 3-4 days so I could get the feeling of the bike and it was easier. Also in Mandalika [test]," Vinales said.

"But when I arrived to Qatar, a track I was used to riding in a very different way [on the Yamaha], basically it's so tough to change the feelings and get the new ones. I'm working on that."

Small set-up changes during warm-up at the Indonesian Grand Prix saw Vinales second behind only former team-mate and reigning champion Fabio Quartararo, further convincing the Spaniard that he can be fast on the bike.

The problem is, it's taking too long to reach that level.

"Through all weekend [in Indonesia] I struggled, we changed a little bit the setting for the warm-up, I just felt a bit better and our lap time improved one-second in the rhythm," Vinales said.

"So we are not worried about the performance because we know we can be very strong. But there is a limited time to do it. Especially this weekend [in Argentina].

"You cannot arrive on Sunday with a good rhythm, you have to arrive on Saturday maximum because you have to qualify well.

"But it's just the second race and the season is very long. We cannot have amazing expectations right now because I'm still getting used to the new feelings.

"Even if the results are not what we expect, at the end of the [Mandalika] race we were top 4-5 on the rhythm. We need to keep working. This is the key.

"Head down and the results will arrive. I'm completely sure."