Vinales exposes a problem with the gearbox that caused an accident at the Portuguese Grand Prix.

Maverick Vinales has revealed that a technical problem with his gearbox, which arose from the sixth lap onwards, contributed to his crash on the final lap of the MotoGP Portuguese Grand Prix, where he was in second place. Despite dealing with a gear selection issue, Vinales had closely followed winner Jorge Martin throughout the race. However, on the penultimate lap, when changing gears between fifth and sixth, his Aprilia unexpectedly shifted into neutral on the pit straight, forcing him to slow down. Entering the final lap in Portimão, Vinales inadvertently accelerated whilst in second gear, causing his bike to lose control and crash into the first corner.

When asked about the incident, Vinales explained: “After crossing the finish line uphill, I tried to shift into sixth gear, but I couldn’t. Consequently, the motorcycle went into neutral and hit the limiter. I extended my leg to signal to Bastianini that I was facing difficulties and to keep a safe distance. I tried engaging sixth gear again, but it still didn’t work. So I went back to second gear and when I accelerated, it suddenly engaged, resulting in a loud drop.”

Although the problem prevented him from challenging Martin for the lead, Vinales believes Aprilia can take advantage of the pace he demonstrated before the incident. “I believe we should adopt a positive outlook,” he added. “I wouldn’t describe it as a disappointment, but rather as a wake-up call, urging us to improve the bike’s reliability in certain aspects. I sincerely encourage all Aprilia technicians to focus on improving in this area, especially if we aspire to fight for victories.”

He continued: “Despite the setbacks I encountered from the sixth lap onwards, when switching between fifth and sixth gear, I had occasional failures. This caused me to maintain high revs for prolonged periods, resulting in a significant loss of top speed. I was losing a few tenths of a second, but despite these challenges, I managed to achieve a remarkable lap time of 1m38s.”

In conclusion, Vinales remains optimistic regarding the potential of his Aprilia, emphasizing the importance of resolving reliability issues to ensure competitiveness in the upcoming races.