Oliveira ‘positive’ despite P17 in FP2, ‘we are competitive with hard tyres’

Despite finishing P17 on the combined Aragon MotoGP free practice classification, KTM rider Miguel Oliveira feels ‘competitive’ with hard tyres. 
Miguel Oliveira, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP 10 September 2021
Miguel Oliveira, MotoGP, Aragon MotoGP 10 September 2021
© Gold and Goose

Although KTM’s Miguel Oliveira was only 17th on the opening day at Aragon, the Portuguese rider believes he’s in a better position than the combined MotoGP times showed.

Oliveira was at his most competitive during the opening stages of FP2 as he fitted the hard tyres and jumped up to P2 behind Marc Marquez. 

Oliveira remained in that position for much of the session before slipping back out of the top ten late on, however, the Catalunya race winner did not complete a time attack compared to most of the grid. 

"I think it was a more positive day than what the standings show. We did a different strategy today," added Oliveira. 

"Instead of looking for the time attack from the middle of the sessions we stayed with the soft rear to see what would have been like in the beginning of the race and we clearly saw that it cannot be an option for us with these kinds of temperatures. 

"I continued on to see if I could bring it up to a performance level that was acceptable which didn’t happen. 

"We switched to the hard tyres which were immediately much better. I think compared to the other riders that used a medium and hard front and rear we are competitive. 

"This is the work we did today and tomorrow we need to be faster to get into the Q2.”

Another factor to consider in Oliveira’s less than stellar position on the leaderboard is that he’s still recovering from a wrist injury suffered in Austria. 

Oliveira doesn’t expect the pain to dissipate for another two weeks, however, the 26 year-old is in better shape than Silverstone two weeks ago. 

"Still a bit painful but a little less than Silverstone. I know the pain will last for a couple of weeks but we know this and we cannot prevent it," said Oliveira when discussing his physical condition.  

"It is just about dealing with it as best as possible. We have many left corners here, which helps."

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