Maverick Viñales claimed top ten in the AmericasGP on Sunday but while a strong result, the potential of his partnership with Aprilia hints at much more.

Having sat second in the times after Friday’s opening practice, Viñales maintained impressive pace across the Austin weekend before topping warm up on Sunday morning, with eventually winner Enea Bastianini just a tenth behind. A difficult Saturday, however, left the Spaniard unable to match the front running pace over one lap and facing the Q1 fight.

Lining up 14th on the Texas grid, between teammate Aleix Espargaro and WithU Yamaha’s Andrea Dovizioso, he found his rhythm once again. Battling the Argentina winner and KTM’s Bra Binder in the closing stages before closing the line in tenth, twelve seconds back from the Gresini.

“Actually I think is the weekend when I feel better with the bike,” Viñales confirmed after the race. “It was tough. It was tough Saturday, because today we had the rhythm, we had the speed, we have the potential to be in the top three. So we need to keep working, keep building, keep learning.

“I think we are into the right way. We are into the right mood and we have motivation. Every race I finish I felt better. I felt more competitive and I felt more one with the bike. Still for sure is a long way to go, a long way to improve but I can see myself in the front and this is very important. This is confidence so we are building a lot of confidence.

“If I have to say something is that this weekend we make a mistake on Saturday. Because, well, not a mistake. We were unable to push more. If not, I think was amazing race. Anyway, it is how it is. Now we face on the way that we were very fast when we were alone, without traffic. So we keep building, we keep working
 
“Still the feeling has to come for one lap,” he continued on his progress with the RS-GP. "Still I need to know more the bike but then every race I feel stronger, I feel more with the bike and today we had the pace to be top three. So actually I'm happy. I'm not worried about the potential because I know this, but we need to somehow found out for one lap. But I'm happy, my feelings are coming back and this is the most important.”

While Argentina saw Aprilia on the top step of the podium, America one week later was a different story. Viñales headed his captain over the line with half a second to spare for a handful of points on the fringes of the top ten.

"Aleix didn't have a great race. He was struggling a lot.,” Viñales admitted. “If not, I think in the position he was, he was able to make top six/top five because the bike was working pretty good. But anyway, you know, every race is different. Everybody's different. We are building up a lot of confidence.

“Just to see myself doing pretty much the fastest lap of the race. When I was alone, I could make two or three on the rhythm. This motivates me a lot, because I know I can be in the front.

“The problem was if I was not fast, but I know. I know, I'm fast. I know I can be in the front. Just we need to try to improve the qualifying.”

With four flyaway races in the bag, the MotoGP paddock packs up in preparation for the start of the European season. Portimao and Jerez await, with both tracks filling the Spaniard with confidence due to his prior knowledge with the Aprilia machine.

“For sure I arrive on a very different moment,” he said comparing this season’s Portuguese GP to 2021’s November visit to the Algarve. "I arrive with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of motivation, different feelings. I think Portimao can be a very good weekend, but I don't have any expectation more than learn. Learn the bike, learn a little bit more the team, still I need to improve ergonomics a little bit, because I'm not that tall. So I need to work a little bit more on the ergonomics to feel more comfortable, to keep pushing more on my riding style. And then... Today the bike was very good, I will not ask for nothing more than to start in the front.”