The pressure awaiting MotoGP's reformed winner in 2023
Maverick Vinales expects he will have “more pressure” on his shoulders going into the 2023 MotoGP season after his first full year with Aprilia yielded three podiums.
The nine-time MotoGP race winner acrimoniously split with Yamaha midway through the 2021 season and found refuge at Aprilia.
His adaptation to the RS-GP was initially very difficult, as Vinales had never ridden a bike in the premier class built around a V4 engine – which has completely different handling characteristics, and therefore requires a different riding style, to that of the Yamaha and Suzuki he rode previously.
After a difficult start to the year, in which his best result seventh twice from the first 10 rounds while team-mate Aleix Espargaro won in Argentina and scored four other podiums in that time, Vinales scored back-to-back rostrums in Holland and Britain - with a third podium coming at Misano in September.
Ending the season 11th in the standings on 122 points, Vinales feels the year was positive overall but is wary that 2023 will bring greater expectations.
“I feel quite positive, honestly,” he said when asked by Autosport at the Valencia season finale to evaluate his campaign.
“During the season we achieved quite good results, and I think we met each other – the team and bike – quite well.
“So, each are on a good point and I think that’s the most important thing.
“At the beginning of the season I struggled a little bit, I didn’t know the bike. Argentina came too early, it’s a shame!
“I think it was important this season to stay focused, to learn a lot.
Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I think every year is different. Next year is going to be different. Of course, we will have much more pressure than this year, this is natural but it’s also good.
“We must improve, we must make the objective clear and then I think we can do a really good job. We need to work well, smart.
“The test will be very important because there is just a few days, so it will be important to test smart, test well and in a good way.”
Vinales admits he had no clear goals in mind results-wise for 2022, other than that he wanted to adapt to the Aprilia as quickly as possible.
“I didn’t make any clear expectations,” he added. “I just tried to ride the bike in a good way. My objective was to learn the bike quickly and then from the middle of the season we were on a really good level.
“So, that’s something I will bring to the next season and that’s where my mind is right now.”
The “refreshing” F1 link propelling one MotoGP team in 2023
Alex Marquez "didn't agree" with Honda's decision to move him to LCR
Daytona 24, Hour 3: Cadillac leads Acura and Porsche
The #01 Chip Ganassi Racing Cadillac leads the Acuras of Meyer Shank Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing after three hours of action in the 61st Daytona 24 Hours.
Hughes "happy to feel a nudge" over the line from Evans after Diriyah FE energy shortage
McLaren Formula E driver Jake Hughes says he was "happy to feel a nudge" from Mitch Evans in the Diriyah E-Prix, which pushed him over the finish line for fifth.
Daytona 24, Hour 1: Acura leads, BMW in trouble early
Tom Blomqvist lead the opening hour of the Daytona 24 Hours aboard the Meyer Shank Racing Acura, as BMW became the first of the GTP manufacturers to hit trouble.
F1 champion Button "definitely interested" in NASCAR road course outings
The 2009 Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button says competing in NASCAR Cup races on road courses is something he is "definitely interested in".
The other Suzuki signing that could transform Honda's MotoGP form
Following Suzuki's decision to quit MotoGP, both of its former riders have landed at Honda for 2023. But perhaps its biggest signing from the now-defunct team could instead be a highly-rated technical manager. Is Ken Kawauchi the right man at the right time to steer HRC back to glory?
How the MotoGP paddock has offered refuge to Suzuki's former team
Suzuki's unexpected departure left more than 40 professionals virtually jobless for the 2023 MotoGP season. But that human drama has been successfully corrected by the paddock itself, with most former Suzuki crew-members absorbed into other operations
How one MotoGP team went from title fights to losing it all in four years
The Petronas Sepang Racing Team came into MotoGP with a bang in 2019 as regular front-runners, with wonder rookie Fabio Quartararo mounting a title challenge in 2020. But it all went wrong for the Razlan Razali-helmed squad as the team changed hands and tumbled down the order - and RNF Racing plans to right this in 2023
Is MotoGP's comeback king ready to reclaim his throne?
Marc Marquez’s sixth premier MotoGP title seems a long time ago given the injury woes he has faced in the three years since. At the end of a fraught 2022, in which he had a fourth major operation on his right arm, the Spaniard speaks exclusively to Autosport
How MotoGP’s underachiever is working to reverse its fortunes in 2023
As European manufacturers emerged as the strongest force in 2022 in a changing of the guard for MotoGP, one powerhouse couldn’t quite match the feats of Ducati and Aprilia. Its motorsport chief tells Autosport why this is and what it is doing to become a consistent frontrunner in the class of kings
How MotoGP riders are preparing for the physical stress of sprint races
With the expansion of the calendar to 21 grands prix and the introduction of sprint races, the 2023 MotoGP season will take the riders to almost 1,300 kilometres of competition more than this year, a factor that forces adjustments in their physical preparations.
The Ducati rider who is much more than just the brother of a MotoGP legend
Surname pressure is something many have had to deal with in their motorsport careers. And while Luca Marini doesn’t have that, his familial relation and the team he rides for in MotoGP have cast a brighter spotlight on his progress. But, as he has shown in 2022 – and as he reveals to Autosport – Marini is so much more than just the brother of a legend
Ranking the top 10 riders of MotoGP 2022
The 2022 MotoGP season was another hotly contested championship, with Francesco Bagnaia emerging as the title winner after the campaign went to the wire. Autosport picks out the 10 best performers of the season
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.