Maverick Vinales believes that his first victory with Aprilia in MotoGP at the Grand Prix of the Americas holds a “unique significance” compared to his wins with Yamaha and Suzuki. After setting a lap record and converting pole position into a Sprint victory, Vinales overcame a poor start that left him in 11th place to secure a commanding win. It took him 13 laps to get back to the front of the pack, overtaking rookie Pedro Acosta on the GasGas along the way. This victory solidified Vinales’ place in the record books as the first rider in the MotoGP era to win a premier class grand prix with three different manufacturers.
Vinales acknowledged that his latest triumph at the Circuit of the Americas holds a special sentimental value due to Aprilia’s situation when he joined in 2021. “Certainly, the win with Aprilia has a different meaning because when I signed with them, they were performing in P15, P10, and to see how much we have progressed as a factory,” he shared with Autosport. “We are definitely a great factory. However, we still need time to improve and be more consistent. But I see a lot of potential ahead of us this year. We need to be smart and focused on our work, especially in situations like what happened in Portimão with the gearbox. It’s about gaining more experience and time upfront and building that confidence. We have to keep fighting because great factories win races. We proved that today, so we should be very happy and proud of our achievements. But of course, what I accomplished today was more challenging because we started from the back and now we are at the top.”
There were doubts surrounding Vinales after the unpleasant end of his time with Yamaha in mid-2021 and his teammate Aleix Espargaro’s victories in the last two seasons. However, Vinales has bounced back from rumors about his future and currently sits in third place in the Riders’ Championship, 24 points behind Jorge Martin of Pramac, who leads the standings. The former Yamaha rider now believes that his Aprilia bike is not only fast when leading the race, but also when in a group of riders, unlike in previous seasons. “In the past, I didn’t have the same abilities I have now, especially when it comes to overtaking because, as you know, I had difficulties staying close to other riders in the past,” he explained. “But with the bike I have now, I can really push the limits when braking, and although it’s not easy to make overtakes, I can try them. And that’s fantastic. I have the tools to try, and that’s a huge advantage because you can’t always start and lead the race from the first corner. So, you have to fight, and all these guys are braking late and fighting. And I’m right there with them, so it’s really amazing.”
