Maverick Vinales was one of the fastest riders on track during the second halꦿf of Sꦕunday's season-opening Qatar MotoGP.

Unfortunately for the Movistar Yamaha rider he had to ꦗfight back from 15th in the early stages and could only cross the line in si♑xth.

Afterwards, Vinales was a mixture of 'pissed off' and 'very ha🌜ppy' as he climbed from his M1.

The disappointment 🍎was that it took so long to get up to speed, but there was also joy and no doubt relief that - after 'losing three months' with the wrong set-up - he was back to the Maverick of old at the e🅰nd of the race.

"Honestly, I was a bit pissed off because if my '5♏5ꦫs came much earlier I could maybe have been fighting for the podium," Vinales said.

"So for sure I was pissed off, but in the same way I was very happy because the team never gave up and finally,𝓡 with patience, we found a really goo🏅d set-up. Something I like.

"I felt t♑hat in the last𒈔 laps it was the Maverick as always. Pushing, getting faster and faster through all the race."

The reason the Spa🐼niard struggled at the start was also a cause for future optimism: The set-up breakthrough on Saturday provided so much more rear grip that the electronics should have been recal🎐ibrated to avoid limiting the power unnecessarily, but there simply hadn’t been time.

"It looked like the set-up of the bike was for the last ten laps of the race, but I think it was more about the power and the electronics than the setup," he explained. "I felt really good🦩 on the brakes, so it means that there was not enough power on the bike to try⛄ to attack the other riders.

"It was so difficult to pass Brad and then Aleix and also Jaജck. I lost so much time behind Jack because I ꦦcould not attack him. Not enough power on the bike in acceleration.

"But this is because we didn't focus on the electronics for the race, we focussed to find the setup - and [the new set-up] actually it works. We took the opposite direction to the test, we went harder i⛎n the front, different stiffness on the rear.

"It's something I really like and something🅘 I asked many times to do. Finally we did it here and it's a good way."

Last year's Qatar winner add𝄹ed: "For me, looking back, it's like I lost three months because now the bike is totally different from the test. The [2016-base] chassis is the same, but the setup is totally different. In the other direction.

"Still I need more c𓃲onfidence with it, but the strongest point of the bike from last year came back again, which is♔ the fast corners, and I'm quite happy."

The increased rear grip had allowed Vinales to attack the corners once agaiꦯn, without having to overwork the tyre on the exit.

"It's much better entering the corners and the bike is les🌠s shaking. It's something I like; the bike more stable and I can attack a little bit more the apex ꦍof the corners. A little more corner speed but also with the brakes.

"Also I didn't make problems in the acceleration [area] because I 'win' in t♒he middle of the corner. It's something I demand many, many times to do. But we did it here on the race weekend.

"I was feeling good on the bike and the motivation comes up. Yesterday was so difficult for me, to stay motivated and focused. Let's see at the next race. I'm confident that no🍰w the race pace is there. Now we have to improve other areas."

Several times during winter testing Vinales looked to rediscover the speed that carried ᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤༒⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚhim to three wins in the opening five rounds of last year, only to struggle once again.

But he insists this latest set-up is the real dea𝔉l, rather than another false dawn.

"[Before] we only fixed [tไhe problem] for a few laps with new tyres, no fuel and crazy laps. But for the rhythm I've never felt like FP4 and the race. What I need now are laps, laps, laps and recover again the feeling I had last year."

Team-♈mate Valentino Rossi finished third in Sunday's race.