Maverick Vinales has had a turnaround in fortunes, results and personality lately. He keeps winning. He’s consistent. He’s as Mav as a Hatter. What’s going on? Let’s investigate the possibilities:
Replaced by a Killer Robot
In the movie Terminator 2, a shape-shifting robot replaces various people in an effort to kill John Connor (completely understandable, given how annoying Edward Furlong is) and thereby destroy the human race. Has Mav been replaced by a killer robot? It would certainly explain his new-found determination and focus.
Scooby Doo Mask Doppelganger
Is somebody out there winning races wearing a Scooby Doo mask of Maverick? Generally this kind of thing is done for nefarious purposes. Usually some kind of heist is involved. Is a team of criminals trying to rip off the Liberty Media company? The only trouble with this idea is that there’s hardly anyone good enough to win races in MotoGP and they’ve all been in the races with him.
Evil Twin
Does Mav have an evil twin who’s as talented as him but more focussed and less prone to bouts of randomness? Might he have been hiding in plain sight all this time, for example in MotoE? (Literally nobody has ever seen a MotoE race, so he could’ve been there for years). Somebody should investigate. Not me, though. Damned if I’m watching any of that MotoE crap!
Gone Even Crazier
Obviously, Maverick has always been barking mad. This is why he’s so loveable and also so frustrating. He picks the craziest times to be rubbish. But what if his recent improvement has been caused by going even crazier than usual? Upgrading from “harmless dingbat” to “escaped lunatic” has to be an advantage in MotoGP. Being an escaped lunatic always seemed to help Marc Marquez, however much it harmed all the people he rammed off the track.
Eating Dog Biscuits
Mav used to be listless and temperamental, but now he’s energetic and full of life. It seems like a big coincidence that this is also what happens when dogs eat biscuits that are packed with all the vitamins and minerals they need. It would also explain Maverick’s bright eyes and glossy coat.
Quantum Leap
Could Dr Sam Beckett have quantum leaped into Maverick’s body in order to right some kind of wrong? Like stopping Liberty Media from turning MotoGP into an idiotic reality show? Or stopping Dorna from murdering World Superbike? (Seriously, how the hell is it legal to buy a competing race series and destroy it? That’s the entire point of anti-monopoly rules!) If it’s true that Maverick is currently part of an episode of Quantum Leap, then we’ll find out when Sam leaps out to another episode and Mav goes back to being his old self. Oh, boy!
Conclusion
Any one of these could be the explanation for Maverick Vinales’ current run of form. We may never find out. Certainly it has to be one of these things, because we all know that Mav couldn’t be this consistent otherwise.