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Miguel Oliveira acknowledges having a “strong rhythm” for the Portuguese Grand Prix in MotoGP.
Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira (KTM) admitted, after taking pole position for the MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal in Portimão, that he feels “strong” and with a “promising pace” for the race.
“I feel strong. My pace is promising for tomorrow. [domingo]. We had four compounds to test at the same time that we had to adjust the bike settings. I’m going to the race without knowing what will happen to the tires after 15 laps, but I’m relaxed, “said the Portuguese driver at a press conference.
This was the fifth pole position of Miguel Oliveira’s career in the World Speed Championship, first in MotoGP, after having won two in Moto3 (in the Netherlands, in 2013, and in Argentina, in 2015) and two in Moto2 ( in Argentina, in 2017, and in Aragon, the same year).
“The feeling is special to make a pole in Portugal, especially because there is not much to do in sports terms and people are eager for emotions. It is very good,” said the Tech3 team rider, who will change at the end of the race. KTM official training season.
For this reason, Miguel Oliveira considers that “leaving the team is a shame”, since he developed “a good relationship in the last two years, but it is life.”
“I want to evolve even more and the official team can give me the tools for that. In a factory team there are more people involved. But it is more difficult to work in the factory team. Here we only have to worry about finding our configuration. But, to Sometimes we miss little details that can make a difference in the race, ”explained the Portuguese rider.
Despite focusing all his attention these days, Miguel Oliveira guarantees that he does not feel “more pressure” to race at home.
“I don’t feel like there is extra pressure. For me, it’s a privilege to race here, I want to have fun. Racing in Portugal is special for me. We never race here. After 15 laps, I don’t know what will happen to the tires. Be optimistic and confident but not too much, ”he emphasized.
As a review of the season, the Almada rider admitted that he is still surprised “with the victory” achieved at the Styrian GP in Austria.
“At this point, I would have liked to have been more consistent. I missed the top 10 three times, with two crashes. I could have done better. Overall, the season was good. I’m going to the next season stronger and more experienced for fight more consistently for positions within the top 5, “guaranteed.
Miguel Oliveira has already raced several times in Portimão, but points out that the track is evolving “every year”. “The new tar helped, because it had some bumps and it is good to ride on this new surface. Going from a Superbike to a MotoGP completely changes the way you brake, the way you ride the bike, it is completely different,” he explained the pilot. 25, which he thought would be “harder to understand [o segundo setor da pista] because it has more blind curves. “
“It is the most difficult part of the circuit. After mastering it, he is always improving. I saw everyone adapt well to the track. With the best drivers in the world, you learn a circuit in 10 laps,” he said.
However, the willingness of some riders to remain behind the Portuguese wheel was notorious, which positioned itself as one of the fastest in the different sessions of the day, ending the circuit record in qualifying, an aspect that ended up being devalued by Oliveira . “I don’t see anything extraordinary about it. I see it as a normal situation. We were more focused on ourselves than on following everyone,” he added.
Sitting next to him, Australian Jack Miller (Ducati), third fastest in the standings, admitted to having been one of the drivers who followed the Portuguese wheel.
“I followed him in Q2 simply because he was the kind I saw. Here, with someone setting the pace, it’s easier to walk fast, because it’s a circuit with a lot of blind corners,” he explained.
The Australian warned that the Algarve route has “several curves that, if done well”, force drivers “to leave the door open”, which can provide some overtaking.
“We will try not to make it happen like in Austria, where Miguel was smarter than all of us, in the end he happened to us and he won,” he stressed.
Italian Franco Morbidelli (Yamaha), who will start from second position, praised the form of the Portuguese rider.
“The pace is very strong and this circuit does not have many overtaking points. Let’s see how it goes,” he concluded.
The MotoGP Portuguese GP is the fourteenth and last race of the MotoGP World Championship.
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