Maverick Viñales at a dead end: last on the track, combative in his words

For Maverick Viñales, the current MotoGP season is turning out to be an increasing disappointment. The Tech3 KTM rider was once again unable to find a solution to his persistent problems at the Sachsenring on Saturday. Starting from 21st on the grid – with only LCR stand-in rider Cal Crutchlow having been slower in qualifying – the Spaniard finished the race in 19th and last place. Even Crutchlow, who had stepped in at short notice for the injured Johann Zarco following his long break from MotoGP, crossed the finish line ahead of Viñales. He finished more than 31 seconds behind winner Marc Márquez.

Whilst Viñales has recently been making headlines with his public comments about his future at KTM, his form on the track continues to be lacklustre. The Spaniard had claimed that KTM had initially offered him a contract only to withdraw it later. However, motorsport director Pit Beirer clearly contradicted this account, whilst emphasising that the door remained open for Viñales. The 31-year-old, however, appeared unfazed by this at the Sachsenring.

Doubts in the paddock: Is Viñales really fit enough?

Even after the sprint, the focus initially remained on the problems on the track. Viñales clearly attributes the cause to a lack of confidence in the front end of his KTM. “I’m struggling more with the bike than physically. We need to understand this and keep working on it. The season isn’t over just because of one race. It’s important to give the team good feedback,” he explained.

He particularly lacks the necessary feel for the front wheel with new tyres. “I have extremely little grip at the front. Especially with new tyres, the feel isn’t there at all. The bike won’t turn in; I keep drifting further and further out. I constantly feel as though the front wheel might tuck in. It makes it really difficult to ride because I can’t carry any cornering speed. That’s why I’m simply very slow.”

Willkommen zum Rennewochenende am Sachsenring

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Willkommen am Sachsenring

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Fans

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Toprak Razgatlioglu

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Jorge Martin

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Fabio Quartararo

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Alex Márquez

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Marco Bezzecchi

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Diogo Moreira

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Marc Márquez

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Jack Miller

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Diogo Moreira & Luca Marini

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Joan Mir

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Enea Bastianini

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Fans

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Pedro Acosta

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Maverick Viñales

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Jack Miller

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Francesco Bagnaia

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Der Start des Sprints

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Jorge Martin

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Brad Binder

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Ai Ogura

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Marc Márquez

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Alex Márquez

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Marc Márquez

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Qualifying - Alex Márquez, Marc Márquez & Fabio di Giannantonio

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Fabio di Giannantonio

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Alex Márquez

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Sieger Marc Márquez

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Sprint - Alex Márquez, Marc Márquez & Fabio di Giannantonio

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Willkommen zum Rennewochenende am Sachsenring

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Vinales blames riding errors for his massive deficit in the sprint. “I braked very late, which meant I missed two or three corners and was even close to going off the track at one point. We tried various things to improve the bike, but in the end I always had the same understeer. No matter what I try, I can’t get the bike to turn in.”

Interestingly, Viñales doesn’t think the problem lies with his physical condition. “In the corners where I just have to brake and then open the throttle again, I’m on a par with the others. The problem arises where I need to carry cornering speed. At those points, it keeps pushing me further and further outwards and I lose an enormous amount of time.”

Vinales has also noticed that the KTM’s handling deteriorates as grip on the track increases. “My feeling is that the more grip the track gets, the worse the bike performs. We’re trying to understand why that is. In the sprint, I had severe chattering and could barely control the bike. Going downhill, I found it extremely difficult to keep the throttle fully open.”

Vinales remains defiant: “I don’t need to talk to anyone”

Off the track, his relationship with KTM remains tense. After motorsport director Pit Beirer had stated his intention to speak to Viñales to clear up the recent misunderstandings, the Spaniard showed little interest in a clarifying discussion. “No. To be honest, I don’t need to talk to anyone,” said Viñales.

“I just want to put this chapter behind me. I’ve realised that I’m out of MotoGP. Now I want to look ahead, come back as strong as possible after the summer break and enjoy the final races. My aim is to get back to my old level. To do that, I don’t need to talk to anyone about anything,” explained Viñales.

This statement is likely to further fuel speculation about his future. On the sporting front, however, Viñales urgently needs answers right now to put himself in contention for a place.