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The lap Miguel Oliveira completed in 1’20”690 in the FP2 of the German GP allowed the Portuguese rider to finish Friday with the best time of the day. From the Italian Grand Prix at Mugello, KTM and, especially #88, seems to have found the right balance to fight for the podium. There are those who hypothesize that it was thanks to the new frame, but Miguel denies that. Their getting good results thanks to hard work and an attention to detail.
“I did a lot of good laps in the afternoon,” began Oliveira begain. “The sensations on the bike were excellent, and I was able to do a very good lap at the end, which allowed me to understand how the bike works and what to change for tomorrow’s qualifying. The goal is to go directly to the Q2 from the FP3 and do a good qualifying session. On this track, starting from the front positions is important.”
Does the new frame you’ve been using for a couple of races help you in cornering? It looks like the package is now really complete.
"Yes. KTM did a great job. I don’t know how much this frame is helping us. I don’t think it’s all about this update. Small details count a lot in this category, but it’s up to the rider to figure out how to get the most out of them. Whoever manages to do that I think will be the fastest in the end.”
Where do you think the results of Barcelona and Mugello come from?
“We have a great pace to be able to be really fast on many tracks. Every Grand Prix shows that we’re strong. You have to manage well to be able to finish the race. We’re working a lot in the shadows, not in the spotlight.”
You improved a lot in the afternoon compared to the FP1.
" I’m aware that everyone will be a bit faster tomorrow. I think my time is good, to be able to go directly to the Q2. We’ll see tomorrow. I’m fast in every race, more or less. I’ll be careful, and I won’t relax after this best time on Friday.”
You say you’re looking for something more. What is that?
“Speed in some points of the track, in the first two sectors. I need to find something to improve there. I’ll try to make some changes to the electronics and in the set-up to be able to find compromises for the race.”
Today there was a lot of wind on the track, and it was also very hot. We saw a lot of falls at Turn 11.
“It’s good that the temperature is a bit higher, and it’s great when the tires are at the right temperature. The wind in the afternoon was a bit too strong. I expect more or less the same weather situation for tomorrow.”
Do you think Marc Marquez is your main opponent?
“Since the start of the weekend, Marc has always clearly been the favored for Sunday’s victory. I’ll try to understand what he does differently than the others on this track and how he’s so fast. It’s important to start from the front, and I’ll try to concentrate on this. If you start from the back, then it’s difficult to have a good pace.”
