Miguel Oliveira ended the Aragon Sprint Race in fifth place, finishing as the best Aprilia rider. Despite the positive result, the Trackhouse rider did not hide his bewilderment at a tire response that was far from expected and critical in view of the Sunday afternoon race.
"I think it was a strange day for everyone. I honestly expected to see the track conditions improve in the afternoon, but it didn't happen. As for us, we chose to adopt two different configurations between qualifying and the race to try to make the tires work and instead we didn't succeed. In any case, others are worse off than us. We will see if we can make a step forward for the GP even if it will be difficult," reflected the Portuguese rider, who then went into detail about what he found.
"The asphalt is like dusty and the feeling is that the bike runs away from you. Until you put the right pressure, it feels like the tire never touches the surface. Here by the way it happens a lot because it is a track where you are frequently in support. Add to that the fact that at the checkered flag I had no more front tire in the left side, and that worries me because tomorrow we will have to cover twice the distance. The rear was also knocked out. I will light a candle tonight and pray for the grand prix. The problem I think is the asphalt temperature. Probably the rain that fell had sand and sticking to the tire destroyed it, plus the track was dirtier than yesterday," he analyzed.
Looking ahead to tomorrow afternoon's appointment, he then added, "Will the hard front be an option in the race? No, better to slide with the medium. The hard is great in straight braking, but as soon as you lean you don't know what happens. Maybe it only works in hot weather and a lot of grip, a condition found at Mandalika, for example."
Finally, regarding the cancellation of the Portimao GP, he was rather critical: "It's too bad because the Algarve administration had put a lot of effort into organizing it and the municipality was ready to pay the fees owed to Dorna. On the contrary, the government did not want to intervene, so nothing. They should be made to understand that it brings benefits to the region and prestige, with also an image return for Portugal."