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Miguel Oliveira's new American chapter began yesterday in Hollywood with the presentation of the Trackhouse team. The new team brought the Portuguese a 2024 Aprilia RS-GP like those of Aleix Espargarò and Maverick Vinales, exactly what is needed to forget a season dotted with many injuries and few results. “I also had surgery to resolve the compartment syndrome problem at the end of last November, but I have had time to recover. It was a tough month of December, but I was able to train well and now I can say that I'm 100% and I can't wait to go to Sepang to understand what my level really is" explains Oliveira.
Have you already trained on the motorbike?
“I rode for 3 days in Portimao and everything seemed to go well, but the RSV4 is quite different from a MotoGP bike. For the moment everything seems OK and I'm ready for Sepang, but it's one thing to ride a road bike and another to ride a MotoGP, they're two different sports."
This year you will have the official bike, what do you expect?
“I will make a two-year leap, from the 2022 to the 2024 bike, the sensations will be different and I will need time to adapt. I think in the first 2 races perhaps I won't reach the bike's maximum potential, but then I think I will be able to consistently stay in the top positions. It's a leap in the dark, but I have faith in Aprilia."
Will the technicians at your side be the same as last year?
“Yes and it's nice to stay with the same technical team, also we will have good support from Aprilia and it's good because having the official bike is not easy. The men from Noale already gave us a hand last year and this season we will have the same support and more people in the garage to help. I think they will be more ready to manage two more bikes."
How are you finding the Trackhouse team?
“The first impression is very good, you understand that they come from racing and you can see from the livery what their approach to MotoGP is. Now we need to gain experience together, race after race, time will allow us to get to know each other better."
Do you like NASCAR?
“I watched it for a maximum of 5 minutes on TV, I can't understand it (laughs), but now I will be able to do it with this team”.
Are you already thinking about your future?
“Last year I think I finished 9 races out of 21, my only thought is to repay Aprilia for the trust they showed in me. 90% of the riders are without contracts, so I'm worried like everyone else. I would say it's a bit too early to talk about the future, it's not on my mind right now. Considering that they see their contracts torn up earlier, they could put a transfer window in the middle of the season, like in football, to change teams in progress, but it's not up to me to decide certain things."
Are you ready to tackle 44 races, counting the Sprints, this year?
“This season I don't think anything can be changed in terms of format. At the end of the last one we saw that everyone had managed to adapt to the format, it was a bit better. It was all experience, even if it meant having more stress because you always have to be fast, in every session. Obviously, as a rider, I would like there to be fewer Sprints."
Isn't it strange to be forced to be slower in the long race after having given your all in the Sprint?
“We also had this feeling with the previous format, on Sunday we were always slower because there is less grip on the track after the Moto2 race, we'll see if it changes with the Pirellis. The fact is that you have to have everything under control for longer, but we always try to go as fast as possible."
