On a day that saw Aprilia team-mate Aleix Espargaro take pole position after being fastest in all his track sessions, Vinales recovere🌳d from missing out on direct Qualifying 2 access by leading Qualifying 1.

Vinales then went on to claim eighth on the grid.

“Today we wanted the front row. We are not sati🐼sfied. We want more,” he said. “Still, it’s not natural for me to do one [fast] lap. Bu🐭t this will come.

“Anyway, it w🌸as a good day. We tried well the bike, the tyres. we are ready for tomorrow. I’m quite happy.”

While Espargar𒅌o put in a very competitive final practice run on the medium rear tyre, Vinales looks set to becom💦e perhaps the only rider on the grid to 'gamble' on the soft.

“We need to check. We 🃏are talking. Ma💟ybe Michelin will say, ‘look, you’re on the last laps of the tyre’. Then I will race the medium. But if I can, I’ll race the soft because I feel good," Vinales said.

“[The soft in FP4] was a time attack tyre from the morning, which I had stressed already. So we used it in the worst cond♛itions ෴we could have and I finished sixth fastest. With a new tyre, maybe I could’ve been first or second.  

"So I’m🍌 curious. I think I can make the tyre arrive until the end. Most guys will go for the hard, but I c☂an’t.

“With the soft I can make the same lap times without 🍃spinning too much. With the medium I spin much more. We’ll see. It’s a gamble but we’ll lose nothing.

“I need to pass the others on t🐻he first lap so it’s better to have a huge help [from the soft tyre] then conserve.

“If we are within the limits of the [tyre comsumption] measuremenಌts, we’ll go for it. I’m the one to push for the soft. It’s a gamble but I think it’ll work.”

While Espargaro has taken five podiums, including one win, this season, Vina🎃les has a best race finish of seventh.