Every season a driver faces is important, but in the case of Miguel Oliveira, this year’s has the extra challenge. The Portuguese rider is in his last year of contract with KTM , something that Oliveira does not avoid and assures that “it is as if you had to campaign for yourself”, while making it clear that his wish is to continue with the manufacturer Austrian.
KTM is a team that has already shown that it can win races alongside the Portuguese, although it still has the duty to find the perseverance to establish itself as a leading player in the MotoGP World Championship.
As part of the Argentine GP held last weekend at Termas de Río Hondo, Oliveira spoke with Motorsport.com about these issues and others, such as the recent controversy between Michelin and Honda over Indonesian tires and how the development of spoilers hinder performance in MotoGP.
Ask. How important was the win at Mandalika so early in the season? Answer . “It was important. How much? I don’t know. It’s amazing to win at any point in the season and to win so early is something unique in my career, I’ve never won my second race in any world championship season. I’d like to say it’s a good indicator of things to come. It takes a bit of the pressure off me in terms of not getting results after such a long time, for us it was a long time. It’s also something the team can be happy about, they’ve been working really hard It’s amazing to be able to give them this result. Also Brad (Binder) did an amazing job in Qatar, so I guess it’s a good start for us, but it’s only two races (before Termas) in a MotoGP 21 championship. It’s better than being last, but it’s not bad, but it’s not everything either.
Q. Less pressure, yes, but doesn’t the pressure change now to maintain these results?
A. “No, it’s the same. I understand that when we won for the first time, that was different because suddenly you have all the attention on you. I think we changed our work philosophy a little bit and this philosophy and this method basically brought us the victory. I think it’s something we’ve attracted and not chased. So there’s a big difference.”
Q. How can you be consistent now?
A. “There are two ways to look at it. On the one hand, I think I have to improve my qualifying positions, so that’s basically my number one goal for this season. It’s one of the things I have to be more consistent with. The other thing of course is the technical package, which I think we’ve taken in the right direction. I think we can be more relaxed and not have to chase a result, and the fact that we’re already there in terms of starting positions goes to be a great help in maintaining this consistency. So far the season has started with a zero and with a win. For sure we need to see more races to achieve this consistency, so that’s the goal.”
Q. How do you work to improve your ranked performance?
A. “It’s a combination, of course. Technically there are things that can be done, but also the pace for me was something like more mentally than just the bike. Simply putting energy into doing a lap. With the format it’s not enough to be a hard worker, it’s not enough to be consistent, it’s not enough to be a driver who puts in a lot of good laps over the weekend, or builds up speed. It’s just one lap. If you go into Saturday afternoon knowing that 12 ° is going to be your worst starting position, that already gives you a different impulse to face the race”.
Q. How important is it to get a good starting position in MotoGP today?
A. “Every time you see more, I think also due to the speeds and the development of the wings, which make it more and more difficult to overtake. Also, we ride almost at the same pace, so adding the fact of having wings It doesn’t help us to start as 15th and get to 5th. It’s difficult.”
Miguel Oliveira, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
Q. What is your opinion about the controversy between Michelin and Honda after the Mandalika tire change?
A. “We have already been to the other side of the coin. We know to what extent the tires influence the performance of the bikes. Some bikes are built in one direction and suddenly you no longer have that tire between the asphalt and the bike. And of course it’s a huge percentage in terms of the difference in performance of your bike. I understand the frustration, I understand that Michelin had to react quickly and accordingly with the data that they got in the test. So, I want to say that It’s a world where you can’t make everyone happy. It’s hard to find a compromise between the demands of a team, but I can also speak from my experience that, I mean, fighting is not the way.”
“I think we have to create a more inclusive environment for the Michelin technicians to cooperate more with the teams and with the engineers, so that in the end we can come to the solution that can finally work for all the manufacturers. So I think we have to create an inclusive environment, we have to get everyone together and work. I think sometimes we want the Michelin technicians to tell us a couple of things, but it’s not possible, so then we don’t tell them everything. So it’s like that you keep some information to yourself and, of course, in the end they also keep something to themselves. It’s normal. In the end, the safest argument is the same for everyone. With this the discussion is over. That’s all”.
“In 2020 we had one tyre, we won three races on that compound and that compound was taken off the allocation. So you have one manufacturer that can win on a certain specification of tire but the others can’t make it work, so then you do it for others and not for you. I think we were on a very bad and dark side of the coin that Honda hasn’t gotten to yet if you know what I mean. That’s why I say try to cooperate with others and not throwing blame and things from one side to another”.
P. Being in your last year of contract with the team, does it change the way you face the season?
A. “I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t change. Of course you get to the season and it’s as if you have to campaign for yourself, show what you’re worth. At the same time, rest assured that you know your future is guaranteed, that you have value enough to bring something to the project. As I said at the beginning of the season, I feel like I’m still a bit far from what I can really do. Last season I showed a glimpse of what I can do in terms of consistency and being on the podium and I think I can still bring a lot to this project. So that’s my number one goal, that’s the number one goal and if we see that together with KTM we can achieve that goal, that’s where I want to be. I want to be in a place in which the team feels that I am valuable and I feel that I can contribute something more to the team. If these two requirements coincide, it is a perfect marriage”.
Q. Is there a deadline for this? Is there time to talk?
A. “There is time, yes. It’s early, I know it’s early, but I think we have until May to basically have the future decided. It doesn’t mean that after May we can’t continue negotiating or anything like that, but let’s say that for show our intentions that we want to stay or we want to go I think it’s until May. And I think this is a standard thing for all the drivers, so it doesn’t have to be a secret or something.
