Movistar Yamaha Conclude Catalan GP with Valuable Championship Points

The Moto GP Movistar Yamaha team didn’t get the result they wanted but have earnt valuable championship points. Report from Yamaha racing below.   

A slippery Gran Premi Monster Energy de Catalunya race resulted in valuable championship points for Movistar Yamaha after a challenging weekend at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

It was a lonely ride for Viñales during the Catalan Grand Prix: his solid efforts today were overshadowed by a lack of grip. He started the race cautiously from ninth on the grid to slot into 16th position after the first couple of corners. Though unable to get a good feeling in the opening laps, he moved up one position and defended it from the pursuing riders.As Espargaró retired from the race, the number 25 rider advanced to 14th place. Three laps later he felt his tyres come to him and was ready to start his attack, followed soon by an overtake on Redding on lap 12.

With Miller crashing out and slipping past Cal Crutchlow on lap 20, the Factory Yamaha rider saw a possible top10 finish in his future and put his head down. He overtook Barbera with 4 laps to go for tenth, and briefly rode in ninth position when Petrucci ended his race prematurely, but a last lap fight again with Barbera had Viñales take the chequered flag in tenth position, 24.189s from first, scoring six vital points for the championship.

The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team also hold the lead in the team standings by 22 points, whilst Yamaha remains the top manufacturer in the Constructor's Championship by a 14-point margin. The Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team will be back at the Barcelona track tomorrow for a one-day Official IRTA Test.

Maverick Viñales

10th - +24.189 / 25 Laps

It was a really difficult day, but there are some days that you just have to get the points and that’s what we did. Tenth place was the best we could do, for sure that’s not our normal placement, but for today that was the best and we have to be happy with the six points we took today and at least we are still first in the championship. We will continue to work hard to get a better result in the next races.

Massimo Meregalli

Movistar Yamaha MotoGP Team Director

We expected today’s race to be particularly challenging for us, as we encountered some difficulties in all practice sessions. We knew that under such circumstances like today – hot weather and low-grip asphalt – our bike is not as competitive as we’ve seen it in other races. Eighth and tenth is not exactly what we were aiming for, but they’re valuable points for the championship and now we put this race in our archive and focus on the next races. It’s good that we are staying in Montmeló for tomorrow’s test, so we’ll be in the position to get immediate feedback about the new materials our engineers have developed. They’ve brought two new frames with the aim to improve the performance of the bike in situations like today’s and we will be back soon on the highest step of the podium.

Image source: Yamaha racing