On this Sunday, November 8, Miguel Oliveira answered questions from journalists from the Ricardo Tormo circuit in Valencia at the end of the European Grand Prix.
We went to listen (via teleconferencing software) to the words of the Portuguese pilot.
As usual, we report here the words of Miguel Oliveira without any formatting, even if it is translated from English.
Miguel Oliveira: « I am happy with this race. We were a little scared, because we didn't know what we were going to find. I think the warm up strategy paid off in the race. We managed to have a good balance of the bike and a good setting. Unfortunately, I couldn't keep the pace for the last seven or eight laps. I started having a lot of trouble getting a good transfer onto the bike and loading the front and rear tires. After a few passes I almost crashed, I decided to calm down and take the bike back to the garage, still having a good race and scoring decent points for the team. »
Have you made the right choice of tires?
« Yes I think we found it when we went out on the grid with the hard front tire because we saw that the track temperature was higher, so we didn't want to take any risks. Although we didn't test it, we took it and I think the tire choice was good. I just started struggling during the last 9 or 10 laps with the transfer of the bike: I couldn't load the front. So to be honest, it was difficult because I almost crashed a few times and had to slow down a bit to get the bike back to safety. Anyway, great fight, good pace. I tried to follow Nakagami when he overtook me and was able to stay with him for three or four laps but it was really risky and I couldn't do more. But it was a good experience for the next weekend and I can't wait to come back here and do a little better. »
Everyone left without having any data. Do you think the race will be very different next week, after the experience of this one?
« Yes, I think we can expect a faster weekend, both for free sessions and qualifying and race pace. It will definitely be faster. We have to be ready for that and make sure we do the right thing. It's not easy but I think we can manage again to have a solid weekend. »
Looking at the analysis sheets, your pace suddenly slowed by 7 tenths with five laps to go. Does this correspond to the moment when you decided to manage your advantage over Jack?
« Yes. I knew he was coming back quickly but I thought I had enough lead to manage this gap. I eased off completely to just get the bike back to its destination but you can't be half fast and half slow, so I decided to just be careful and gather the information I needed to progress the next weekend. »
Do you know where your charge transfer problem was coming from?
« This happens especially when the motorcycle is very light. We left with a full tank and the bike became lighter and it no longer had the same behavior as at the beginning when I felt stronger. I think we will be able to iron out these small details with the additional testing sessions we will have. »
Should you avoid the wet area in turn #1?
« No, turn #1 was perfect. At least for me. I didn't see any dangerous areas or moisture patches inside. During the warm up, yes, there was some, but not during the race. »
What was your approach to the race regarding the settings, because we heard in Aragón that the KTM technicians in your box were now using the same solutions as the Factory team?
« I think it's not so much about the settings but more about the tires. During the warm up, we didn't focus so much on the tires. In the Factory team, I think Brad had the medium during all the sessions and Pol rode the soft, so we already knew which tire worked best. For the settings, we used two options during the warm up, and the direction to follow for the race became clear to us. That's all we did to approach the race without experience in the dry. »
Are the current Suzuki performances a concern for 2021?
« No no. We know that Suzuki and Yamaha are very strong manufacturers, but we have to keep in mind that this is a very, very special season. It's more like a Spanish championship, with all the races here in Spain. It's very special because we are doubling the circuits. Of course I have to say that it has paid off for many of us because we have a second chance to work on the bike. But I believe that in a normal championship we would perhaps have seen a little more fights in terms of manufacturers at the front who would have shown different consistency. That's all. I think we have to analyze things as they are and it's a strange championship, but nevertheless Suzuki is doing a good job. Joan Mir pilot is at his best and makes no mistakes. He's able to completely concentrate on his riding, and there's nothing you can do about that (laughs). »
Standings for the MotoGP European Grand Prix in Valencia:
Classification credit: MotoGP.com
