Maverick Vinales feels he has “closed the circle” after finally notching up a maiden MotoGP win on the Aprilia in the Portuguese Grand Prix sprint race.
Having inherited the lead on lap 12 after Francesco Bagnaia ran wide at Turn 1, Vinales resisted pressure from first Marc Marquez and then Jorge Martin to win the half-distance race at Portimao by just over a second. It marked his first-ever premier class victory of any kind on the Aprilia RS-GP and ended a victory drought stretching back to the opening round of the 2021 season in Qatar.
While admitting that Bagnaia was simply too quick for him in the early part of the race, the Spaniard hailed the pace he was able to showcase on worn tyres in order to keep the Ducatis at bay. Maverick Vinales, Aprilia Racing Team Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images “The only thing I can say is that Pecco in the beginning was so fast, very fast,” he said. “He took one second away in just two laps. And then I was catching little by little but he was riding well.
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