MotoGP Thailand J3 Debriefing Miguel Oliveira (KTM/1): “I only have a small advantage when we are not riding”, etc. (Entirety)

This Sunday October 2, 2022, Miguel Oliveira answered questions from journalists from the Buriram circuit at the end of the Thai Grand Prix.

The KTM rider was able to master all the pitfalls of a wet track and the resistance of Jack Miller to win for the second time this season, after his victory in Mandalika.

As usual, we report his words here without the slightest formatting, even if it is translated from English.

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Miguel Oliveira : " It was definitely a difficult race from a mental point of view. Every race in the wet is difficult because a mistake costs you at least quite a lot and you can fall. So, I was definitely comfortable but not too comfortable at the same time. I think Jack also put a lot of pressure and pulled away early in the race, and kept me in attack mode until the last lap. I think it was good because I could never be relaxed. So it was really good. The start of the race was difficult for all of us because we couldn't see much on the straights and there was a bit of aquaplaning. But it was good, and I can't complain about winning again in the wet. »

Jack Miller gave you a hard time but you were faster in sectors 3 and 4…
« I think Jack was a lot better than me on the brakes, especially in turns one and three. He was definitely a little bit faster than me, but I could catch him from turn seven, but catch him quite a bit, and I was quite surprised by that. So I think in pure driving I was a little better and I could be close enough to him to be able to think about overtaking him. When I tried the first time it didn't work and I just stayed behind him trying to get a gap on Pecco who was also going very fast. Then when the opportunity presented itself, I got close and made a block pass, so that was good. »

You also won at Mandalika in the wet. Why is the KTM so strong in these conditions?
« I do not know where it comes from. At the start of last year we also found it quite easy to find settings that fit my style and get the best out of the bike. I think that's the only explanation. I only have a small advantage when we don't ride: when we have sessions in the dry then only one session in the wet which is the race. I think that during these first 10 or 15 minutes, I can be at the right level very quickly. This year in Motegi we had a lot of time in the wet, and I think the level was more even between everyone, because everyone had time to find the best settings and was able to practice. That's the only reason I can find (laughs). »

Your collaboration with KTM will end at the end of the year. How happy are you to conclude it this way?
« C’est toujours bien. Bien sûr, les séances sur le sec ont également été prometteuses et j’ai plus montré un très bon potentiel, donc c’est définitivement triste que cela se termine à Valence, mais je suis également heureux de faire partie d’un nouveau challenge (rires). C’est définitivement une catégorie difficile et vous ne pouvez pas sauter d’une moto à l’autre et dire “c’est une bien meilleure moto que la mienne”. Quand nous sommes derrière d’autres gars, nous disons toujours “oh, la moto de ce gars est meilleure que la mienne”, mais je pense que nous devons seulement nous concentrer pour tirer le meilleur que nous pouvons de notre machine, et aussi avoir un bon groupe autour de vous peut également nous aider à le faire. C’est la clé du MotoGP de nos jours. »

Miguel, you are the one with the biggest difference between points scored in the dry and points scored in the wet. Is this due to your first years spent in Portugal where it rained a lot?
« Hey, that's how it is. I don't have much explanation. As I commented, I would of course like to be more competitive in the dry, but I'll take a win in the wet any day. If it rains, I will use this advantage and increase my average even more (laughs). »

Many riders complained that they had very high front tire pressure. Have you experienced this problem?
« I also had high front tire pressure. At times, depending on the settings, you may be more sensitive to it and other times not, but I also think it's very difficult to judge, based on the one chance we had to set the good pressure for the tires, when we drive for the first time in this heat. So I think it's, not like shooting in the dark, but definitely difficult for the team to predict. »

Can you comment on the organization of the Grand Prix by the welcoming Thais?
« From what little we can see, there is huge brand involvement, especially brands around the track. We were used to coming to Asia and having this kind of support: It's the same in Japan and Indonesia. In Malaysia too, we have this warm welcome. I think the organization was good and even today when the weather wasn't the best, we still had this amount of people coming to see the race. So it's definitely good. »

MotoGP Thailand Grand Prix Results:

Classification credit: MotoGP.com