Viñales: "We were one of the strongest at the end"

It's back-to-back podiums for the Spaniard after a fantastic second half of the race comeback

Maverick Viñales (Movistar Yamaha MotoGP) secured his second consecutive podium of the season at the Pramac Motorrad Grand Prix Deutschland after a second half of the race recovery, carving through a Ducati armada to cross the line third.

Viñales launched from P4 on the grid but found himself dropping backwards in the early stages of the race, eventually settling into seventh behind the likes of Danilo Petrucci (Alma Pramac Racing), Andrea Dovizioso (Ducati Team) and Alvaro Bautista (Angel Nieto Team).

“It was tough. I feel happy because we worked well during the weekend,” said the number 25. “I think we did a good job. With the team, we worked well for the last ten laps of the race; that was the most important thing. We were one of the strongest at the end but there are a lot of things to do to improve also. So, it’s good have a break right now. Give space for Yamaha to work hard and to try improving the bike.”

The Sachsenring is notoriously difficult to overtake at, especially on a 250-horse power GP bike – an issue Viñales faced in the 30-lap race. “It was impossible to overtake. I couldn’t! Trying to overtake, I was going wide everywhere. I was going outside, inside, everything I tried. But, as their tyres started to drop, I started to overtake everyone, at Turn 8, downhill. I tried my best, I gave everything. The bike was working well, we just need to keep going.”

The 2013 Moto3™ World Champion heads into summer break 10 points behind teammate Valentino Rossi in the overall standings, and with leader Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) 56 ahead, Viñales vows he and his team aren’t going to take this two-week break as a time to relax as they continue to aim for their first win of the season.

“We aren’t going to relax. There is a lot of work to do and we’ll come back much stronger,” said the Spaniard, “This year, with the bike we have, we can be very strong. My riding style is getting stronger every race and I’m understanding the 2018 bike more but we need to try hard to win. We hope for updates in Brno.”