Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales finally kickstarted his miserable 2019 MotoGP campaign with a masterful win at yesterday’s Dutch Grand Prix in Assen.
The Spaniard, who last won in Australia last October, had his best qualifying of the season – second behind French hotshot Fabio Quartararo, and spent the first half of the race battling with the sensational rookie and world champion Marc Marquez. Vinales was able to hit the front and edge away on lap 16 of 26, with Marquez taking second to extend his championship lead and Quartararo bagging his second podium finish in a row.
“It feels like I’m dreaming,” said Vinales. “These have been difficult times for me, because I’ve been out of the three tracks where I thought I had the most potential with the bike. My season has been difficult, but I’ve tried to keep the momentum from Catalunya, because I felt really good on the bike. I’m so grateful to the team, because they did a great job this weekend and prepared well for the last laps of the race. I was strong, even one-to-one on the brakes, I knew I could make the overtakes. It was very important to relieve some of the pressure by taking a victory. I think the team will be more relaxed now. Being back on the top step of the podium again feels really good and bringing Yamaha back to its winning ways is the most important to me. We knew we had the potential but hadn’t been able to show it. It’s always a combination between the team, the rider, and the bike’s efforts. Sachsenring is a track I’m usually fast at, so we’ll try our best.”
Marquez conceded that his countryman had been stronger on the day but still had a smile on his face, adding: “An amazing weekend here in Assen overall. I chose the soft tyre and targeted the podium so this is like a victory as we have again increased the advantage in the championship. I saw Viñales was faster than me and I tried to stay with him to avoid a battle with Quartararo at the end. I was behind Viñales for a few laps and then I saw he was faster than me today, congratulations to him on the victory. The most important part is we have extended our lead in the championship at a circuit where we struggle. Thank you Assen, see you next year!”
Quartararo added: “It’s been a great weekend, although the race was very tough. Leading the race was one of the best moments of my life. When I was a kid I watched these races, and today I managed to lead one. When I got overtaken for the lead, I knew I couldn’t do anything to respond because of my arm problems. The chasing pack was further behind, so I chose to manage the distance and ensure I placed on the podium. My arm bothered me a lot because there were several bumps and a lot of wind, which made the bike move around a lot. We have taken another podium, and yesterday I got on pole, so I couldn’t be happier. The goal in Qatar was to get into the top ten frequently this season, but little by little we have been raising our targets. I’m looking forward to Germany.”
While Vinales, Marquez and Quarteraro were the big winners of the weekend, there were plenty of losers too. The Ducati riders all struggled at the fast Dutch circuit, with Andrea Dovizioso finishing fourth and losing seven points to Marquez in the title chase, while Valentino Rossi crashed early on. Britain’s Cal Crutchlow had a tough weekend but dug deep to qualify in sixth and finish seventh in the race.
The championship now moves to Germany’s Sachsenring this weekend.
