After a lacklustre start to the 2018 MotoGP season, Maverick Vinales has stated he can not afford any mistakes at the Austin round this weekend, and give Marc Marquez and Andrea Dovizioso further advantage.
The Movistar Yamaha rider, who crashed at the Texas track last year while leading, says he is in a position to improve the bike from free practice - meaning the team has a lot of work to do to get in working properly.
"We arrive in Austin in a position from which we can work on improving the bike. It’s the third race and we can’t afford mistakes. We need to fight for the victory with all our strength," said Vinales.
"I don’t have good memories of last year at COTA, because unfortunately I crashed at the beginning of the race, so this year I’m set on being able to stay ahead throughout the race, and above all being able to be on the podium. I really like COTA because the lay-out is amazing, so I will try to give my 100 per cent and try to enjoy the GP as much as I can.