Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira (KTM) admitted this Saturday that he had “a day to forget” in qualifying for the Malaysian MotoGP Grand Prix in Sepang, the 19th and penultimate race of the 2022 World Championship.
The Portuguese driver, who was 19th fastest in the morning session, won the place due to a three-place miss from Spaniard Paul Espargaro (Honda), who finished in 17th place.
Thus, Oliveira starts in 18th place after experiencing “front wheel vibration” during the first qualifying round (Q1).
In qualifying, I had an unexpected vibration on the front wheel and didn’t have time to change it and didn’t get the chance to get on another bike because it had a different set up. In any case, it was a day to be forgotten, ”said the Portuguese pilot, whose words are quoted by his press service.
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Even though it will be a “difficult race”, Miguel Oliveira understands that it will be “difficult for everyone”.
“The race here is very long, it’s very physical, and I think that in this part I can do better and recover positions. Therefore, we are clearly going with all the motivation for tomorrow (Sunday), ”said the pilot, a native of Almada.
The strategy for the race is to “start well, have a good first lap, which is very important at this circuit, and find the rhythm quickly.”
The new tires are another challenge the Portuguese rider has to face.
“With the hardship I experienced in the afternoon, I have no grip [aderência] brake straight and not much support when I lean the bike, although it is a very stable tire. The medium, on the other hand, is rather unstable, but has much more cohesion. Therefore, we will have to choose between these two characteristics, which is the most important thing for us in the race. As for the rear tire, I think it will be pretty easy for everyone, since almost everyone used a soft rear tire, because it lasts the longest and is the fastest,” he concluded.
In the Drivers’ World standings, led by Francesco Banagia (Ducati) with 233 points and two races to go, Miguel Oliveira remains in 10th place with 135 points.
