Aleix Espargaro recalls what surprised Maverick Vinales about Aprilia after leaving Yamaha

Photo by Kaikungwon Duanjumroon/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Aleix Espargaro has shared a funny story about how Maverick Vinales reacted after making the move from Yamaha to Aprilia.

Maverick Vinales’ time at Aprilia doesn’t get much attention, mostly because his form dipped noticeably after he left Yamaha.

During his time with Yamaha from 2017 to 2021, Vinales put together a solid record, collecting 24 podiums and eight wins along the way.

But after joining Aprilia midway through 2021, his results took a hit, managing just one victory during his stay there.

It’s worth looking into why Vinales’ performance dropped post-Yamaha, especially given how surprised he was by Aprilia’s speed when he first spoke with Espargaro.

Photo by Gold & Goose Photography/Getty Images

Maverick Vinales is confused by Aprilia’s lack of speed after moving from Yamaha

Aleix Espargaro spoke about how he tried to convince Maverick Vinales to leave Yamaha for Aprilia, sharing the story on the Dans La Boite à Gants podcast.

At that time, Espargaro was still riding for Aprilia, and Vinales tried out the bike. He was surprised at how slow it felt, considering how well Espargaro had been performing.

Espargaro recalled: “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 began investigating if there were advantages Espargaro had over him beyond just differences in their bikes.

Aleix Espargaro reveals how Maverick Vinales was shocked by Aprilia’s technology

After making the switch, Vinales was reportedly surprised by how advanced some aspects of Aprilia’s setup were. One detail that caught his attention was the team’s riding suit, which was both lightweight and well-protected.

Espargaro went on to describe how this difference played out during their time together: “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.’”

Despite some notable advantages at Aprilia – from lighter suits to improved gear – success didn’t follow for Vinales during his four-year stint with the team before moving on to KTM.

This year hasn’t started any better either for Vinales, who picked up a shoulder injury, causing him to withdraw from this year’s United States Grand Prix.

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