Viñales riding high on Le Mans emotions

Maverick Viñales says he’s still riding high on a wave of emotion after taking his first MotoGP podium ten days ago in Le Mans – and that it gives him even more motivation to go into this weekend’s Italian round of the championship at Mugello.

“I can still feel the emotions of 10 days ago in France, the first podium both for me and Suzuki was unbelievable and gave me even more motivation. The weekend hadn’t been easy at all, we struggled to find a good balance and efficiency, but finally with my crew, we found a new set-up for Sunday that allowed me to find some more confidence.

“It’s a good feeling, we keep on progressing day after day and this is a good reassurance. Of course we still need to work hard, we have so much potential to be exploited and we must stay focused. Mugello is a very nice track, so fast and technical, it should suit our characteristics. We have seen that by working hard we can fight and be close to the top; and this is still our objective.”

It could also be a big weekend for the Spaniard for other reasons, however, with rumours continuing to circulate that he will announce his move to Yamaha for 2017 and 2018 ahead of tomorrow’s press conference.