Marco Bezzecchi
Aleix Espargaro told a hilarious story about Maverick Vinales’ shock upon making the jump from Yamaha to Aprilia.
Maverick Vinales’ stint with Aprilia is one that few people talk about, given that his performances dropped off after leaving Yamaha.
Between 2017 and 2021, Vinales rode for Yamaha, where he had a strong stint, securing 24 podiums and eight race wins.
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But after moving to Aprilia in the middle of the 2021 season, Vinales’ performance level dropped significantly, as he earned just one win during his time there.
One has to wonder why Maverick Vinales’ level dropped after leaving Yamaha, especially considering his first reaction to Aprilia’s speed when he interacted with Aleix Espargaro.
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Aleix Espargaro reveals how confused Maverick Vinales over Aprilia’s speed after Yamaha
Speaking on the Dans La Boite a Gants podcast, Aleix Espargaro told the story of trying to convince Maverick Vinales to join Aprilia from Yamaha.
During that time, Vinales tried to test the bike, but was amazed at how slow the bike was given, how well Espargaro was doing at the time.
“I remember I convinced Maverick to join us in Aprilia when he was in Yamaha, winning races. When he rode the bike for the first time…
“That bike was not that bad. I was on the podium. But he was coming from Yamaha. So he said, ‘Wow, what is this bike? I don’t understand how you do it, I don’t understand how fast you are.’
Vinales then believed that there was an advantage Espargaro had over him that had nothing to do with the bike, and began investigating the same.
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Maverick Vinales was shocked at Aprilia’s technological advancements
Maverick Vinales reportedly questioned how Aleix Espargaro was able to be lighter than him, only to find that Aprilia’s suit was designed very well to keep riders light while still protecting them.
“So at that time, he really started to take care of all the details of his equipment, everything, to try to match me. I remember that we went in the wind tunnel, in the scale to jump on the bike. And he was like two kilos heavier than me. And he’s a lot smaller.
“‘This is not possible. I’m super fit.’ I said, ‘I’m more fit than you.’ ‘No, not possible!’ Then he weighed the suit. And my suit was, I think, one point six kilos lighter than his suit, and he said it’s not possible. I said, ‘Yeah, this suit is amazing!’
“He said, ‘Yeah, but it’s not possible that you are protected.’ I cannot remember the next race where it was, but I remember it was Le Mans corner one, but I’m not sure…
“I crashed at more than 300, one of the biggest crashes of my career. I came into the garage with no bruise anywhere and he realised, ‘Oh, I think your suit is at a really high level.’”
With all of these advantages at Aprilia, Maverick Vinales just wasn’t able to find success during his stint there. After four years with the team, Vinales left them to join KTM.
Most recently, Vinales had to withdraw from the United States GP due to a shoulder injury. The hope is that he can find some of his Yamaha form when he does return to the team.
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