MADRID, 26 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) insists that he is “100 percent sure” that his best version will be seen in 2022, thanks to the atmosphere of “a lot of motivation and passion” that surrounds the project, which he feels very much his own , “very personal”, at the same time that he acknowledges that last year he was “extremely burned out” and “mentally on the limit” after the “tug of war” with Yamaha.
“I am 100 percent sure that my best version will be seen, you work calmly. I see this project very much mine, I take it very personally, that is good because you have to push a little more. The sensations are good, I feel with A lot of potential. I really want to start the season and build,” Viñales said in an interview with Europa Press before the presentation of the Amazon Prime docuseries ‘MotoGP Unlimited’.
The one from Figueres sees “very hungry” in the team, which he asks to “manage it well”. “The atmosphere that is breathed this year is one of a lot of motivation, a lot of passion. I want to be in Qatar, we have prepared well for the year. I give myself five races to be at my best. In Mandalika I felt very good from the first back,” he explained.
“I think it could be the best year of my career, I see a lot of potential in the bike. If you can’t do a fast lap, you understand it, there are many factors, but if you see that you have the potential, the ‘feeling’, the good sensations. .. That is the important thing”, asserted the Catalan.
The rider from Girona is happy with the evolution of the bike in the preseason although he still needs to “understand a little more how to do the time”. “This bike asks you to push in other areas, I have to adapt a bit. But everything is evolving very progressively”, he celebrated.
“CONFIDENCE IN YOURSELF IS EVERYTHING, I HAVE ALWAYS BELIEVED IN ME”
A state of mind very different from the one that the Yamaha team experienced last season, when it ended “burnt out”. “He was overwhelmed, on the edge mentally. It was a constant tug-of-war, but the rope broke and now we started from scratch,” he added, admitting that finishing last season with Aprilia was very positive. “It was important to do the last four races to understand the bike and improve it. They were a ‘gift’. I start the year very fresh mentally”, he celebrated.
And to face such a mentally tense moment, Viñales maintains that he relied, fundamentally, on believing in himself. “It takes a lot of confidence, it’s everything. If you believe in yourself, you’ll go for it, I’ve always had it very strong inside me, I’ve always believed in myself a lot,” he expressed as one of his strengths.
With the ‘Top 5’ between eyebrows and eyebrows to get to the fight for the championship alive until the end, Viñales, also a Suzuki rider, describes it as “incredible” to be able to win in the World Championship with three different factories. “It would be amazing, it’s a beautiful goal, but right now we are realistic and we know that we have work and a long way to go, but the year is long and we are going fast,” he told the Spaniard.
“I couldn’t tell you a favourite, they’re all very strong. Every year the level is growing, very strong people have left, but we youngsters come pressing. There are very strong people in that group of youngsters,” he analyzed facing a fight for the title of a championship that begins next week.
“OUR SPORT NEEDS MORE ENVIRONMENT”
On the other hand, the Spaniard hopes that 2022 will be the year that fans return to the circuits. “At a time as strange as this is so complicated, we have to get back to normality, it’s what we need, our sport needs more atmosphere. Hopefully we can return to normality and see the fans again,” he wished.
Finally, he highly valued the Amazon project with the docuseries about MotoGP that will be released on March 14. “It is going to make MotoGP grow a lot. The most interesting thing is to see the other part of the rider, when he is at home, in his environment, people are going to have a good time with the docuseries,” he concluded.