In our previews post about Maverick Viñales amazing MotoGP learning process, we saw the difficulties a MotoGP rookie has to go through when arriving in an environment in which the electronics and the tire management are vital. There is an obligatory process the newcomers have to go through before getting “graduated” in the major class.

In the case of Viñales, his graduation happened in the English GP. “Yes, after Silverstone I felt I had entered in the top guys group”, explains Maverick. “In Qatar I had been already strong, but I had no experience. Looking back what my team and I we were missing then, I would say it was basically experience. At the end of the season our electronics did work much more accurate, our management of the races was much better, we had learned how to control the tire consumption, we were much more efficient in qualifying and in the races. It was all consequence of having accumulated experience. Austria for example was an important race in this sense. I spent most of the race behind Marc and Valentino and could see things that helped me a lot”.

Like witch?

“I saw where Marc and Valentino used the maximum power. They had a different set up of the electronics. In Red Bull Ring I understood that it is important administrate where go full power and that there are places where go full is more detrimental than helpful”.

The talent all MotoGP riders allow you all to do a fast lap, one, but a very different story is to be fast in the second half of the races. Am I right?

“Yes, I agree, this is the difficult part of MotoGP and it is not possible to achieve without an intense work along the whole weekend”.

And I imagine the learning phase goes trough a trail and error process?

“You have to realize that the learning process goes through renouncing to the spotlights. It goes through doing many laps and trying many different things in the practice sessions. This normally puts you in a not very brilliant position in the classification at the end of the day. Then on FP4, the session that is the one you approach more with race configuration, you go out on used tires and if you are fast in it, you will be fast in the race. If you look at Marc and Valentino, both work with used tires. On Friday they work calmly, they speed up a little bit more Saturday morning and at the end of the day they are always at the top. We in Suzuki changed a little bit the method by starting Fridays with new tires switching to used as the sessions go on”.

One question: do you go into the qualifying with a special set up?

“No, we use race set up with new tires, few fuel and full power configuration”.

Full power configuration? What do you mean?

“Yes, on the qualifying session you do two or three laps on new tires, so you can go out with all you have. The bike is much more powerful than in race configuration”.

So you cut power for the race?

“Well, you start full power, but as the tires grip start to decline you start to play with the different power curves”.

Is there big difference?

“On the straight the power is the same, there is just a little bit less exiting the corners. And it seems impossible, but when you check the data you realize that you accelerate the same with less power”.

Because it makes the bike go forward instead of making it spin?

“Exactly. It is very important to know how to play this game. It may sound easy, but to understand the whens demands lots of work. For example, the situation is very different if you start from front row or in the middle of the grid. In this case you have to use full power to try to get into the front as soon as possible. In Silverstone for example, where I started from the first row and had no bikes in front of me, I switched to the second map already in the first lap thinking in saving the tires… and it worked”.

Braking, corner speed and acceleration… in which of these three phases do you feel more comfortable?

“Corner speed and acceleration… I think I administrate very well the tires on the acceleration phase. I am good in exploring their maximum without making them slide. It is all down to get into the turn and start to open the gas without causing spin. This is something that surprised me when I arrived at MotoGP. I thought that with this bikes it was just open the gas wild exiting the corners. But if you do so, the bike simply doesn’t move forward”.

So you have to work on your braking phase?

“No, I don’t think so. What determines the braking efficiency is down to the front tire. One example: in Aragon I went out into the race with a hard front tire and I braked harder than Valentino and Jorge; like Marc. But in other races, like Austria, I had a softer tire than Marc and this forced me to concentrate on the corner speed to try to catch up the time I lost on the brakes… Braking depends very much on the tires. If the tire compound is soft the tire surface in contact with the ground starts to move on hard braking. This causes instability and penalizes the precision in the curve entrance maneuver. This take you to break two meters earlier”.

Everything you are explaining sounds very interesting to me!

“That’s MotoGP, that’s the problem and the attraction of MotoGP; there are so many things to learn! And until you learn all this…

Full power for start; administrate the tire consumption, changes the power curves, all this work with the electronics… I am stressed just by hearing you explaining!

“I like to sit down with my technicians and look at the graphics. I am quite a curious guy and I think I am quite good at it. I am not a rider who spends much time inside the box, but the half hour I spend I am very concentrated”.

So, do you feel ready to assault the championship?

“I think so. I will enter 2017 season with a winner mentality”.

You will do as member of the Yamaha Factory Team. How will be your approach? Will you apply what you have learned so far or will you wait to see how does such an experienced garage work?

“I am a rider with fix ideas. But the important thing is to collect information and learn. And I think in the Yamaha garage I can learn a lot because they have huge experience. It’s obvious that at the end the rider wants to do things his way, but if there is a better one you adapt it to yours. I always have thought that I am good in this: collect experiences and use it”.

But are you open to advices or do you think to do things your way?

“It depends… What works better and normally the technicians are the ones who know what’s best”.