A week ago, at Misano, it was not excluded that Miguel Oliveira would stop after 8 laps of the race, because his injured shoulder lacked strength and prevented him from fully controlling his bike.
But no, the Tech3 driver did experience weakness after 8 laps, materialized by a minor fall, but left to cross the finish line in 16th position, just behind his teammate. The boy certainly doesn't lack willpower!
Also, a few days later during the Aragon Grand Prix, the question of a possible stop no longer arose, despite a partially severed ligament which still weakens him physically.
Qualified 17th (16th with Pol Espargaró's package), Miguel Oliveira finished his 23-lap race 13th, after an excellent first lap which saw him gain 4 positions.
The Portuguese rider battled with Takaaki Nakagami, Andrea Iannone, Danilo Petrucci, Joan Mir and Tito Rabat, and finished first KTM rider in the absence of Pol Espargaró and Johann Zarco.
Mission accomplished, therefore, for the 24-year-old rookie who should be almost ready for the next Grand Prix, in Thailand in two weeks.
Miguel Oliveira : “It was a good race today, we fought well with strong drivers, which makes me happy. It was difficult to overtake, especially in the last laps, but I was there in this group, fighting. I thought we had the potential for a bit more today, but at the same time it was good to finish the race like that after not scoring in the last two runs, so now I feel a lot calmer and more relaxed to tackle the next challenges. »
Position: 13th
Championship: 17th
Points: 29
