On this Friday June 25, 2021, Miguel Oliveira answered questions from journalists from the Assen circuit, at the end of the first day of the Dutch Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Portuguese driver, third best time of the day, and who will try this weekend to continue his excellent momentum, with a possible fourth podium in as many races before the summer break.
As usual, we report here the words of Miguel Oliveira without the slightest formatting.
Miguel, how was your day?
" We We had a difficult first session, but the team responded well after that. I felt from the start of FP2 that I would be much more competitive. It's just a shame that we didn't have time to understand how far we could go with the settings of our bike and to understand its full potential, but everyone is in the same situation. The objective for tomorrow is to be ready to be fast in rainy conditions and to manage FP3 well to go straight to Q2. »
What was the level of grip both in the wet and in the dry?
" Difficult to say for this morning because I had the medium tire, and the grip is never good during the first free practice session. I think the grip level is still good. The track, especially in the wet, offers a really high level of grip, and the bumps have been smoothed out, particularly in the first two corners. On the other hand, after the long straight, approaching turn 6, I didn't feel any difference. »
You encountered difficulties during the first session with your settings, can you come back to this? Furthermore, can you explain the differences in behavior of the KTM in the dry and in the wet?
" We We mainly worked on finding more agility in fast corners, and we managed to achieve this goal. Now we need to complete a lot more laps in the dry to know what the next step could be. Concerning the behavior of the bike in the wet, it went rather well. If it rains tomorrow I think we have a good pace to get through it. »
Pecco Bagnaia said that you are one of the most talented riders in MotoGP. What is your opinion on the subject?
" In MotoGP, no one relies solely on talent. On the contrary, it takes a lot of work. In this new period of MotoGP, everything does not just depend on the bike. It also depends on the team, the work you do off the track, many small details that can make the difference. But it's of course very nice that it comes from Pecco, who is also a very talented driver. »
« En MotoGP, no one relies solely on talent »
MotoGP Assen – FP1-FP2 combined times ranking:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
