Maverick Vinales took to the Sachsenring track with "completely the same" bike set-up as he had used to claim Yamaha's debut MotoGP victory of the season lastℱ Sunday at Assen.

And the good news for the Spaniard was that "it seems to work pretty well", with the Monster Yamaha rider claiming🦄 fourth place (+0.488s) on the day one timesheets.

"Somehow we found🌳 our way to go wit🔜h the bike," Vinales said.

"For sure we have to make some modifications for tomorrow, because I need a little bit more load on the tyre, because in Assen t✨he camber is always in a different way than here, so you put a lot more pressure on the tyre and it seems to work really well for our bike.

"So we want to try to do that fo𓆉r tomorrow and see if it solves my problems when I slide a lot. I'm sliding all the time. But even with the struggles we had today, we are pretty close to the top, and that's the♓ most important thing."

Vinales 🧸added: "For sure in the time attack we could have been much faster, I don't think we used the correct tyres, especially in the front [the soft].

"Honestly, I was expected much more from the soft. I didn't feel much grip when I pushed. I think as the track condition improves we will fe🌸el better with the soft tyre.

"But somehow I can ri൩de better than last year anyway, faster and mu🔴ch more competitive.

"Still w💝e have to ꦦimprove a lot, because Marc is really fast. So in one way I didn't ride in my best, but in the other way I'm quite happy about the result."

The key for Vinales will now be ho𝓰w much the 𓂃track improves grip-wise over the course of the weekend.

"Today for us was really important, because the track is not in a really good grip level, and the lap times were q▨uite good," he said.

"Now it's very important to see if the grip increa💞ses during the weekend or stays the same.

"Maybe from today to Sunday tಞhe track will improve, and if the track improves we will be stronger. But right now, we have to somehow find grip, especially on lean angle, because I suffer a lot.

"But I'm quiౠte happy about the feeling I have on𓆏 the bike, even if I think it's not at the maximum right now."

Petronas rookie Fabio Quartararo was ꦬthe top Yamaha rider in third, wit🥃h Vinales' team-mate Valentino Rossi tenth quickest but feeling far more comfortable than at Assen.

Fast♑est man Marc Marquez picked out Quartararo and Vinales as the riders closest to his own pace on day one.