Q&A: Maverick Viñales - MotoGP's Next Top Gun

Maverick Viñales is only 21-years-old, but has been racing motorcycles for 18 of those years (he started in minimotos at 3 years of age). Those 18 years of experience have brought him to where he is today; a rider in the premier class of motorcycle road racing – MotoGP.

Viñales’ record is impressive. He’s the owner of four 125cc titles at various levels, was the Rookie of the Year in Moto3 in 2011, Moto2 in 2014, and MotoGP in 2015, and most notably, was the World Champion in Moto3 in 2013.

Simply put, this man was made to race. Asphalt & Rubber had a chance to sit down with Maverick at the last round of MotoGP in Austin and it was great opportunity to talk motorcycle racing with one of the top riders in the series.

The first thing you notice about Viñales when you meet him is his focus. He has a firm handshake and keeps constant eye contact with you while you’re talking. That theme of focus would be evident throughout the interview and throughout the weekend.

Viñales had just come off of a day of practice and was sitting in 6th position after FP4. As we started the interview, we talked about the day’s results and the first thing he said was “The bike is improving, but I can go faster.”

As we continued, it was obvious that Viñales’ drive was strong and his desire to be at the front was very evident with him saying “always we try to focus on our work and we try to work more than the others.”

Though young, his ambitions are clear. When asked what his wishes are for the 2016 season, he said with a laugh “to be the champion” and “no crashes.” Unlike the round in Argentina, Viñales’ second wish came true in Austin and he stayed on two wheels the whole weekend.

In order to get to the premier level of motorcycle racing requires tremendous drive and a strong work ethic. One of the things I discussed with Viñales was the level of preparation required in MotoGP compared to the support classes.

He is well aware that raw talent will only take you so far in MotoGP and that thorough preparation is the key to success and winning championships. When asked about preparation, he led off with the fact that “preparation starts on Friday, getting the electronics and the tires setup for the race.”

That emphasis on the bike’s setup continued as Maverick talked about how the biggest difference between Moto2, Moto3, and MotoGP – “in MotoGP you must know the electronics on the bike,” he explained.

Viñales also emphasized the need to “ride 100% perfect to be at the front” in the top class. But even with the advanced electronics, Viñales stated that “physically, you need to be really strong.”

That led to a more in-depth discussion about fitness and his philosophy on preparing physically for road racing. We talked about how many of the top riders use road bicycling as a primary means of training.

Though noting that “it’s still important to have good cardio”, Maverick talked about how he has changed his regimen, telling me “I change a little bit. Before, it was road bike, running, and a little bit of fitness. Now, it’s more fitness (strength) and less on the bike.”

He’s definitely noticed differences between the two styles of training, noting “my body has changed a lot and I feel more comfortable on the bike. I feel faster and the change has allowed me to ride well.”

As the interview continued, we transitioned from the discussion of preparation, electronics, and fitness to how the new Michelin tires are performing. During preseason testing at Phillip Island in Australia, Viñales was the fastest rider on the grid. He seemed happy with the tires as the season began, stating “we start with a lot of grip in the rear in Australia and Qatar.”

But at the round in Argentina, tire troubles at the race led Michelin to switch from a soft compound to a harder compound to improve durability. This did not work as well for the Suzuki with Viñales finding that “it was very difficult to set up the bike with the hard tire” and wishing that Michelin would “bring back the softer tire” in the future.

Next, we talked about other riders in MotoGP, and who his heroes are. Viñales gave an understandable response, saying that Valentino Rossi was his idol, “but now, when I go to the track, no one is my idol – they are my rivals and I try to beat them!”

It’s interesting to consider that when Maverick was born in 1995, a young Valentino Rossi was working his way up through the 125cc class. In 1997, when Viñales was 2-years-old, Rossi won his first 125cc world championship.

Now, 19 years later, he and Rossi are racing on the same grid. Viñales knows that there’s no time for hero worship saying “when I’m at the track, I think of myself. I try to improve because when I give my 100%, I’m at the front.” As I said – he’s focused.

Of course, just as Maverick was Rossi’s fan growing up, there are legions of fans around the world who idolize Viñales. He has over 300,000 followers on Facebook and close to 200,000 followers on both Twitter and Instagram.

I mentioned this fact to him and asked whether he likes social media or just sees it as a duty of a famous motorcycle racer. Interestingly, he really likes the interaction that social media offers.

More importantly, he sees social media as an opportunity to “show people what you are doing in your life.” He talked openly about how in MotoGP “you have to train so hard. You don’t have time to do anything else. You train and race, train and race. So actually, it’s a really hard life.”

Viñales likes social media because “I like people to see what I’m doing in my life and to show it’s hard. I work so hard to have the opportunity to be here.” So, bottom-line folks; even the elite of MotoGP don’t just show up at the track, get on the bike, and do well. It’s hard work.

We then talked about the development of the Suzuki. After a long hiatus from MotoGP due to the suffering world economy, Suzuki returned to racing in 2015 with the GSX-RR.

In his first year on the bike, Viñales won MotoGP rookie of the year and finished the season in 12th place; just one place behind his much more experienced teammate Aleix Espargaro.

When asked about the differences in the Suzuki between 2015 and 2016, Viñales seemed pleased. “The bike permits me to push more. Last year I could push 60%, but this year I can push my best because the bike permits me to go fast.”

Additionally, he praised the seamless gearbox noting that “it allows you to take a lot of different lines and is quite a big difference.” Viñales also sees a difference in grip and engine power adding that Suzuki “changed the engine and it’s faster.”

So now we know the Suzuki is a better motorcycle this year, but how does that translate into goals for the 2016 season?

“For me to be in the top six riders at all the races – it’s a good challenge.” So far, he seems to be close to achieving that goal.

With a sixth at Qatar, running as high as second in Argentina before crashing out, and finishing a career best fourth at COTA, Viñales seems to be quickly heading towards his goals. It’s clear that a podium finish isn’t far off.

In case things in racing ever go bad and he has to change careers (and frankly, just to have a little fun with him), I asked Maverick what job he would have if he wasn’t a motorcycle racer.

He paused thoughtfully for a moment, and at first said “I don’t know” but then, with a bit of a grin he said “Top Gun!” which led to a lot of laughter. But as it turns out, I don’t think he was kidding.

He recently had an opportunity to fly in an F/A-18 with the Spanish Air Force and really seemed to enjoy the experience, though he did mention “The g-force was incredible. I pulled 6.3Gs and it hurts!”

We talked about the speed and forces of a fighter plane and the similarities between that and GP racing. Honestly, based on his fitness and his ability to pilot a 200+ horsepower motorcycle at superhuman speeds, I have no doubt he’d excel at flying a fighter plane. As I mentioned earlier – it’s all about focus.

The rest of Maverick’s weekend went well. He qualified fifth and finished fourth – his best MotoGP result yet. His team seems to be gelling, the bike is developing nicely, and his skills as a rider are phenomenal.

He seemed pleased with his progress on his Twitter feed saying “P4… Getting closer to the podium… It will come!” After seeing his focus and learning about his goals for the year, I have no doubt that Maverick Viñales will be on the podium soon.