Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP's Maverick Viñales started his 2020 the right way on Sunday by bagging third place in the historic #StayAtHomeGP, fighting back from a coming together with Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) on the first lap. Viñales was taken out by his 2021 factory Yamaha teammate after the Frenchman tucked the front trying to squeeze past the Spaniard who had got, according to him, one of the best starts of his life.
This was the first @MotoGP virtual race of the year! ???? Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! ???? Do you want a second race?? ???? #StayAtHomeGP #StayAtHome#12gang | #MonsterYamaha | #MotoGp | @MotoGPeSport pic.twitter.com/9DTLTyP6VY
— Maverick Viñales (@mvkoficial12) March 29, 2020
The drama didn't end there though for Top Gun because, after chasing down World Champion Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) for the final podium place, he crashed out, and was visibly furious with himself for doing so, only for Marquez to also crash seconds later, allowing Viñales past to claim third place. The Spaniard confirmed he had some expert help in his garage for the Virtual Race too, with double MotoGP™ eSport World Champion Trastevere offering Viñales some setup advice.
"Honestly, it’s the first time I’ve started well in my life!", said the factory Yamaha rider. "I was nearly first going into the first corner, so I’m very happy. We crashed many times. The last lap we can see a Yamaha got the fastest lap also with Fabio so, overall, I’m happy.
"Honestly, I didn’t try to crash but I had one at the first corner. I was pushing and then I crashed again and it was difficult to see myself on the podium but we had a good rhythm and I finished the race well. I’d also like to thank Trastevere for giving me the setup, it meant we could go a little bit faster. Both me and Fabio got some help from him!"