What a fantastic start to his career as a factory Yamaha rider that it has been for Spanish MotoGP rider Maverick Viñales who finished the fourth and final official off-season MotoGP test on top; making it four out of four.

Vinales dominated timesheets at all tests since making the switch

The time attacking Viñales, who finished each test in Valencia, Sepang and Phillip Island on the top of the timesheets, finished up three days of testing at the Losail International Circuit in Qatar once again as the quickest man on track. It has been a fantastic start for the Spanish rider who completed two years with Team Suzuki Ecstar, before taking the opportunity to replace former MotoGP champion, Jorge Lorenzo, who decided on to take on the Ducati.

With no more official testing set to take place now until the season is underway, Viñales certainly has the upper hand heading into the season knowing that he can be quick on his new machinery. Although, his achievements may mean that he has now safely planted a target on his back, as he has set the standard high, and become the man that people know they have to beat.

Viñales quickly got to grip with his M1 in Qatar

On the first day of official IRTA testing, at the floodlit track, it was not long until Viñales was again feeling comfortable on his new YZR-M1. With three hours of the session remaining he found himself on top as he continued to lap; completing 60 laps on the opening day in total. Focusing on degradation of the tyres and fuel consumption, and with the opening race of the season just weeks away, he looked to find a good race set-up.

On lap 49, out of the 60 he completed, he set his fastest time of the day of 1:55.179. However, he could only manage second fastest as Italian factory Ducati rider, Andrea Dovizioso had managed to smash through the 1:55 minute barrier and claimed the top spot on the leaderboard with the fastest time of the day 1:54.819.

Viñales felt good from the start

Viñales declared, “I have a good feeling after the first day in Qatar” when he wrapped things up at the end of the day, confirming that he “felt good with the bike already from the first lap I was fast”. He mentioned how they had “been to four different tracks” and that he felt “good at each one”. He felt that this meant he “adapted well to the bike” and that they “improved a lot”.

By the end of the opening day he felt they were constantly “bettering the race pace”. He noted that “each first and last lap on the same tyre is quite similar”, a result that left him feeling “happy”. He was left feeling “surprised” that they “improved on every run”.

Turning his attention to the race pace, a factor he feels is “important here”, he explained how at the Qatar circuit, they “it matters a lot to have a good pace because the tyre drops a lot”, especially mentioning the degradation of the left side of the Michelin. Looking ahead to the second day of testing he mentioned how the plan was to “make the tyre life last longer” and to “make the lap times more consistent.”

Viñales tops the timesheets on day two of testing in Qatar

It was definitely a strong day for the Movistar Yamaha team on day two of the IRTA test as not only did Viñales manage to reclaim his spot at the top of the timesheets, he was backed up by his new teammate, nine times world champion, Valentino Rossi who made it a solid 1-2 for the manufacturer. Their success in fact was tripled, as rookie Monster Tech 3 Yamaha rider Jonas Folger, who has had a fantastic start to the MotoGP class, completed the top three.

Viñales spent the second day meticulously refining the set-up down the last drop. Completing 49 laps in the process he was able to break through the 1:55 minutes barrier, and surpass that, finishing on top with a fastest time of 1:54.555; improving on his fastest time from day one by 0.624 seconds.

A very confident Viñales said, “I feel good”, when the second day of testing drew to a close, however, he still felt that they “need some further improvements”. He confirmed that their aim was to try to “keep the lap times really consistent and on the same pace.” By the end of the second day, he felt they “made another step” and hoped that on the third and final day that they could “improve a little bit more”.

Still, he oozed confidence as he confirmed he was “happy about [their] set-up” and the Spaniard felt that had they been preparing for the first race of the season that they “would be ready, for sure”. Heading into day three, he still wanted to “improve on the braking points to be faster”.

Third and final day saw Viñales again victorious

After again choosing to refine the settings on his bike on the third and final day of testing, Viñales began working towards expanding his lead, hoping to finish further ahead of those on track with him. He made a fantastic start to the final day, and midway through set the fastest lap of the day, and the whole IRTA test with a time of 1:54.330; after managing to find another 0.225 seconds on track. No-one else was able to come near and after finishing another 60 laps on the third day, making it 169 in total, Viñales again finished the final IRTA test as the man to beat heading into the brand new season.

Overall he was left feeling “really happy” as the test drew to a close and he confirmed that again they “made another step with the bike” which left him feeling “comfortable” and “even on the race pace” he said they were “quite happy”. Still determined to find some vital segments of seconds on track he thinks that they “can still better the electronics and gain a couple of tenths” and that they still have “a margin to improve”.

Viñales feels there is more potential

He confirmed that they are “not on the bike’s limit” and he still feels that they can “push a little bit more.” Looking forward to the season opener he said, “If we can do the same in the first GP as we did in the test, we can fight for victory.” Left feeling confident after four extremely successful tests, he declared that as well as having “a really good package”, that he not only feels “good on the bike”, but he has a “great fitness now”, and so he is left feeling incredibly “comfortable”.

Going back to previous years, Viñales was always strong during the tests, and in the build up to the race. Hopefully, the change of machinery and the experience gained with it during the four tests will enhance the quality of the rider, and he will be able to put in to practice everything he has learned, and will prove strong on the track when the lights go out fr the start of the 2017 MotoGP season; and what a season it will be for him should he continue in the way he has left off!