After all his hard work, and with a bit of luck or good fortune thrown in, Team Suzuki Ecstar rider Maverick Vinales claimed his first MotoGP podium since he joined in 2015 when he finished third at Le Mans at the fifth round of the MotoGP world championship.
Vinales joined possible future teammate Movistar Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi on the third row of the grid after a busy qualifying left him in eighth. He had a strong start and it was not long until he had made his way up to the front of the pack. Fortunately for him, three riders fell in front of him, Ducati rider Andrea Iannone fell first, followed by his teammate Andrea Dovizioso and Repsol Honda rider Marc Marquez. This meant that Vinales, who was behind Rossi at the time, automatically claimed the last podium spot as they continued to race behind leader Jorge Lorenzo.
It had been a difficult weekend for Vinales at Le Mans as he struggled to find the pace; his best finish was third in FP3. However, during the morning’s warm-up session he was able to make a change that helped his confidence ahead of the race.
“It is such a special feeling to be on the podium, we did an incredible job. Yesterday was so difficult, really difficult, as I was not feeling very good with the bike, but this morning we found a new setup. I regained my confidence and could start pushing again.”
Vinales’ podium was not just handed to him, though, he had to fight on the track against his teammate, Aleix Espargaro and the Monster Tech 3 Yamaha riders who both wanted to succeed at their team’s home GP.
“Today when I started I just tried to concentrate and overtake the riders in front of me. Finally Marc and Dovi had bad luck but I was riding well and at about the same pace as Valentino so I was happy. I was on the limit many times, and when Pedrosa started to close I was having some moments, but finally I was able to ride quite smoothly and control it.”
Twitter: RT @maverickmack25: ¡¡1er podio en #MotoGP!!
P3 en #FrenchGP!! / 1st podium in #MotoGP
Vinales is now in fifth place in the championship behind the two sets of factory riders from Yamaha and Honda. This is a fantastic achievement already considering the Suzuki is in only its second season since returning to the MotoGP class.
The pressure is on the Spaniard to decide on his future as since Lorenzo decided to move to Ducat after signing a two-year contract, Vinales has been sought to replace the Spaniard at Movistar Yamaha, however, he has not decided whether to follow his head or his heart.
The young Suzuki rider has refrained from commenting on his future and chose to focus on the race this weekend instead. However, his representatives said the decision will come soon. Mugello is set to take place in a fortnight on May 22. The Italian circuit is overwhelmed with Rossi fans surely excited to welcome the talented rider under their hero’s wing in the future.
