On this Sunday, June 20, 2021, Miguel Oliveira answered questions from journalists from the Sachsenring circuit, at the end of the German Grand Prix which he finished in 2nd place.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Portuguese driver who has just finished 3 times on the podium and made a spectacular comeback in the championship after a difficult start to the year.
As usual, we report here the words of Miguel Oliveira without the slightest formatting.
Miguel, it’s now three times in a row that you’ve been on the podium…
Miguel Oliveira : " Yes, very happy with this performance! Of course, the key moment of the race was when the rain arrived. As we know, Marc was able to figure out pretty quickly what the grip level was and build a gap at that point. I wasn't in an ideal situation because I wasn't right behind him at the time and I got stuck in this small group from which he escaped. Then, when I got second position, I really tried: I put pressure on him and I did the best I could. I didn't have the best situation to manage the tire because I had put a lot of pressure on it trying to get back to him, and I felt that he had control of the race. With three laps to go, he pushed a little harder while I was completely drained. This motivated at least my decision regarding the race, so he increased the gap to 1,5 seconds and from there I decided to preserve second place and just take the bike back to the garage. »
“The key moment was when the rain came down!” – @ _moliveira88 🎙️
No back-to-back wins for the KTM rider, and he pinpoints where @marcmarquez93 made the crucial break! 💨#GermanGP ???????? pic.twitter.com/0JeNOttTBt
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) June 20, 2021
The work never stops of course, but it seems that you are now competitive as soon as you arrive on a circuit…
« Yes. I think at the start of the championship we couldn't really figure out how to resolve our situation and so we relied a lot on certain pieces that came from the Test Team. I think we made a very good working group: We worked with the four drivers and also with Dani in the test team who was like an outsider but who helped us a lot by bringing very valuable elements to our project entire. There have been contributions here and there, and in this very competitive category with a very tight grid, if you can understand where you can get maximum benefit from every detail, then you can progress.
I also needed to finish races because I showed some potential during some races but couldn't finish. And so since Mugello, we have been able to take this small step forward, and this has given us confirmation that we have to continue like this. »
Looking at your last three results, is there any frustration given the difficulties you had with the bike at the start of the year?
« I am a boy who always looks ahead and never behind! I think this is the right approach for this championship. It's true that the beginning was difficult, but perhaps without this beginning we would not be in this situation today. Because difficult times take us out of our comfort zone, push us to do a little more and force us to find details, new pieces, to work harder, and all this takes us where we want to be. Of course, the current times are good but we don't take that for granted. Never ! So we will continue to work hard, take every opportunity we can when we are close to the lead, make podiums and score a lot of points to finish the championship doing our best. And you can only do that if you finish the races, so for now, race by race, we'll do the best we can. »
Aki Ajo has just renewed for five years with KTM. How important has it been to you and your career?
« I stayed on the team for three years and it's good. Aki has a special way of communicating and working, and his style suits pilots who want to work. He has been a key figure, not just for my career but for the careers of many riders who are currently in MotoGP. It was a privilege to have been there and I am happy for him that he is the intermediary step for KTM to bring the right talent into our category. »
Do you think you will be on the podium again at Assen?
« It's hard to say ! Of course I hope so, but Assen is a track where we suffered a bit in 2019. Last year we couldn't get there so it's one of the circuits where we didn't no experience with our motorcycle. I believe our bike can also work well there but it will be more difficult. We know the Yamahas are very strong there and it will be difficult for everyone to beat them. But anyway, we also keep an open mind and we take advantage of this podium and this increased motivation to go to Assen and do a good job there. »
Standings for the MotoGP German Grand Prix at Sachsenring:
Credit classification and photos: MotoGP.com
