Phillip Island will be an uphill battle for Miguel Oliveira and BMW. Eleventh at the end of this Monday's test on the Australian track, where he was 1.2 seconds behind Nicolò Bulega's benchmark time, the new rider for the Munich-based manufacturer has to contend with minimal knowledge of the M 1000 RR. This happened because the winter preparations had been ruined by rain, which affected the tests in Europe.
"Let's say that today was our first real day of winter tests, and it was nice to finally be able to do a few laps in dry conditions, without worrying about wet patches or things like that. It went as we expected. It was a day of adjustment to get back into the right working window with the bike," said Miguel said, explaining the work carried out during the day. "We didn't make any major changes to the set-up, but the team made me feel more comfortable in some areas. That's about it. There's not much more to say."
Could having dealt with several bike changes in recent years be useful to Oliveira, even though he's dealing with an environment and a bike that are totally different than those he experienced in the MotoGP?
"Yes, you can draw on your experience and all the tools you have at your disposal in terms of riding, but you can only really use them when you find the right balance with the bike you have and with the tires. Coming to the Superbike was probably the biggest change in my career. I knew it would be a challenge, and it was;" he observed. "Bigger than the move from Moto2 to MotoGP? It's hard to say, because it was a different period, but I think it's a similar step."
Despite his vast experience, the Portuguese rider is a rookie in this championship and has to deal with high expectations as he finds himself on the World Champion team.
"I'm fine with that. I mean, do you think it would be better for me to go to a team at the bottom of the grid? I'm in the best place I could be, and that helps me grow and be fast as quickly as possible," he commented. "There are expectations from the team and the manufacturer, and that's normal, but there are also expectations from me. I expect the best from myself. I have to put all the pieces together, and that takes time. I'm trying to shorten them, but it's as if I jumped out of a plane, opened my parachute, and landed right here, in the first round, without pre-season. So what can we expect? Certainly some difficulties, but I'm ready for the challenge and to face these difficulties. I'm sure that, with the team's experience, we'll overcome them."
Is this the best way to explain to those at home the one-second gap that separates you from the top?
"The best way to explain it to someone is to take them to England and have them ride on the other side of the road. That's what I said in November when I tried the bike for the first time, because that's how it feels when you rider another vehicle," the BMW rider replied. "Everything has to come naturally, without thinking about it. At the moment, I'm still in that phase where I'm observing and thinking about what I should do on the bike. I can't do everything at once, but I'll get there."
Miguel was then asked how he mentally handled the fact that he was arriving at the first round of the season, in a championship he initially didn't want to race in, without having had the chance to get properly comfortable with the bike.
"You have to take it as it comes. You can't ride and just try to stay calm, knowing that the time will come when you'll have learned the bike and you'll be competitive. It's just a matter of time. It's not a question of 'if', but 'when'. As I said before, I'm trying to shorten that tim ," he reiterated. "I think the biggest change (ed. in terms of mentality) came when I made the decision to come here. And, when I did, it was because I wanted to race and not test. Even though the paddock and the bike are different, I really wanted to compete for a top-level team and brand."
In this difficult adjustment, starting from a familiar track like Phillip Island could still be somewhat helpful for Oliveira.
"Knowing the track is a big help, also because I still have to learn three circuits for this season. But, yes, it's definitely better to be here, become familiar with the track and, more or less, know the trajectories," he said. "It won't take long to learn the small circuits, right? But they're complicated. Balaton, for example, is short but very complex."