Maverick Viñales endured a more difficult than expected Qatar GP, with the Aprilia rider finishing 12th and over 20 seconds off his teammate.

As Indonesia’s return to Grand Prix racing at the Mandalika International Street Circuit approaches, the Spaniard is confident he is on the right path with the RS-GP and buoyed by Aleix Espargaro’s podium-chasing performance last time out. Although still cautious to attach a particular goal to the upcoming weekend as he continues to gel with the Noale machine, Viñales was firmly inside the top ten during winter testing five weeks ago.

“I think is important right now that we don't put to us any objective, especially looking at the position,” Vinales explained from Lombok Island, "because it's a matter of adaptation of the bike, still is a little bit complicated. Especially when I go to a track that I never ride with the Aprilia, is difficult to understand,” he continued, referencing Qatar’s season-opener.

“Is difficult to push on the correct way, however, we are working very hard, especially in this adaptation, because the bike is working quite well. We can see that for me at this point is a little bit more difficult, but Aleix is working the bike well and he is a good point of reference. ‘Okay, I need to brake on that way, I need to open in that way’, so still I need time. I think in Qatar was difficult because we arrived from a very high expectation, but here can be good. So we start especially on this type of working, especially on the adaptation and then we will see.”

With a partly new track surface following rider complaints after February’s visit, a new Michelin tyre - combining compounds on offer at the test with ‘special casing’ to increase durability in the tropical temperatures - and variable weather forecasts, Viñales faces a challenging weekend on a bike he is still learning how to master, but the Spaniard seems far from daunted.

“I don't think is difficult,” he countered. “The only difficulty I see is that we're gonna ride with tyres that is a long time we don't ride - so we don't know how it works. I think this is going to be the difficult [part] of the weekend but for me it's a process of understanding, a process of getting automatically the mechanics on the bike and it takes time. I think in Qatar we adapt the bike quite well, what we had to do and this is very important too. We start positive the weekend, in MotoGP from one race to another can change a lot and we need to stay positive and strong and especially very focused on what we have to improve.”

Last season’s controversy and openly acrimonious split from Yamaha had many discussing the 27-year-old’s mental health, with concerns over his suitability as a MotoGP rider.

“Some people all the time pushing on my mental side, I have to say that my mental health is fantastic,” Vinales answered simply. “I couldn't imagine a better life than I have. So my mental health is fantastic, I'm concentrated. But you know, sometimes I expect to be in positions where previous year I was not able to be for many reasons. So it's normal that one person gets mad when he's trying the best, but the result is another.

“You cannot pretend that one rider is a problem because he has feelings. We all have problems at home. We all have different things, but not for that, you have to push and to say he have mental issues. It is not true, my mental health is fantastic. I'm super good, if I was bad, I will not ride a MotoGP bike first of all. I think it goes too much, too far. Because they always push that the problems is my mental side. I don't believe on that. I know where the problems was and I have to tell you I work.

“This doesn't mean that you don’t have to improve. I have to improve. I have to be better. Every day. So I work with a mental psychologist, I work with physiotherapist, I work with a trainer, I work with my engineers, I work with my mechanics, you have to work everyday.

“This game is day by day. Your value is the last race, so you have to work very hard. Actually I am happy you tell this question because yeah, the pressure is very difficult to handle, honest. Especially I can see all the people expect from me that I have to go there and win. On one way is very good because I know that people expect that I win but in another hand if you don't do it, is difficult to handle. But is nice, this one pressure which always make me push a little bit more. I'm on the way to become the best Maverick. So step by step. I don't have a rush and it's complicated sometimes because it puts you on edge point. But is nice when the people expect that you have to win, is something good.”