Phillip Island: Maverick Vinales and Aprilia’s Last Shot at Glory in Overseas MotoGP Rounds

Phillip Island could be Maverick Vinales and Aprilia's final international "chance"?

“Our chances lie in Mandalika and Phillip Island… I believe the others will resemble Japan.”

Maverick Vinales was eager to quickly move past a disappointing Japanese MotoGP experience following two unsatisfactory races at Motegi.

Securing an unexpected third position at the stop-and-go circuit, Vinales faced difficulties with his holeshot mechanism failing to disengage at the first turn during Saturday's Sprint, ultimately crossing the finish line in ninth place.

However, the Spanish racer failed to reach the finish line in the premier race, bowing out from the eleventh position, slightly trailing his teammate Aleix Espargaro, around the halfway mark.

"Vinales expressed uncertainty about whether there was a change in grip level, but described it as the most disappointing session of the weekend in terms of performance and sensation at the grand prix."

Espargaro subsequently described the rear grip issue as a 'nightmare', while Vinales preferred not to linger on the specifics of the problem.

"The bicycle remains unchanged, thus our only option is to move past this weekend, despite having some positive moments during the qualifying rounds."

"We'll focus on the upcoming one."

"In my view, regarding the international circuits, Mandalika and Phillip Island stand out as our main chances. Those will be our go-to tracks. As for the others, I believe they will resemble Japan."

"Completely concentrated on Phillip Island, aiming to return to the top spots."

Mandalika, the circuit where Vinales advanced from tenth place to sixth during the grand prix, alongside Phillip Island, are both tracks characterized by their fluid layouts, which are inherently more favorable to the performance of the RS-GP.

The Phillip Island event is scheduled for October 18th to 20th, and it will be immediately followed by races in Buriram and Sepang on the succeeding weekends, locations where last year, the RS-GP's heat significantly affected its riders.

Vinales and Espargaro are set to have their last outings with Aprilia at Valencia, after which they will move on to roles with Tech3 KTM and as test riders for Honda, respectively.

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