Factory Yamaha rider Maverick Vinales said that he is still looking to improve the rear grip from his YZR-M1 after the opening day of free practice at the Termas de Rio Honda circuit in Argentina.

The Spaniard suffered a frustrating weekend during the opening race of the season with issues that plagued him through 2018 rearing their ugly head once again.

Despite the disappointment, Vinales looked to put the opening weekend behind him and looked to turn the page in South America. The factory Yamaha man ended the opening day of the weekend in third place after the two free practice sessions, just 0.164 off of Andrea Dovizioso’s fastest time of the day.

"Today's impressions weren't bad,” said the 24-year-old.

“This track is completely different from Qatar, so the surface is very different and the tyres are working in a different way, so we had to record all the information from today and work really hard, because the bike isn't at its best yet.

“The main thing is the rear grip. In Qatar we had a lot of grip, but here we're struggling. We need to reconfirm everything, trying to work things out, especially the rear grip.”

Cameras caught Vinales looking frustrated in his pit box during FP2, however, he insists he is happy with where he is currently at.

“Let's see, we did a great job today, we improved so much compared to this morning,” he said. “But our rhythm needs to be in the mid-1'39s if we want to be able to win the race.

“For sure, I will try my best for pole tomorrow. We're going to work really hard and push for it."