In a weekend that represented the best result ever for the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team, Miguel Oliveira signed his contribution to this feat with a fantastic sixth place, adding 10 more points to his current classification in the MotoGP World Championship.
Adaptation to RS-GP in Misano
Friday did not start in the best way for the rider from Charneca de Caparica, who fought all day to get the best feeling with his RS-GP as it adapted to the Misano Marco Simoncelli Circuit. He closed the 'Free Practice' in P18, although just 0.650 seconds away from the top. In the second training session of the day, Oliveira still felt the need to continue adapting to his bike, performing his best lap in P22, even so improving compared to the morning session.
“It was a complicated and strange day at the same time, to be honest. I wasn't able to find a good feeling with the bike and I had some difficulties regarding time attacks with the new tires. With a little more grip, I felt some vibrations, and that's what we're going to focus on to find a solution for tomorrow [Saturday]. We have two Aprilia’s that are in the top10, so we have to have a good bike and a good base and we have to understand what we can do for tomorrow”, commented Miguel Oliveira.
Both CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team riders in Q2 for the first time
After doing his best on Friday, the following day, Saturday, Miguel Oliveira managed to improve his feeling on his Aprilia RS-GP throughout the day. He managed to be the ninth rider in FP2 and in Qualifying he surprised everyone and everything with an impressive lap time of 1m31s272, closing Q1 in P1 and thus taking place in Q2. In Q2, the Portuguese rider managed to set the 10th best time on the starting grid, starting from the fourth line of the grid.
In the 'Sprint Race', after a successful start, Miguel Oliveira managed to hold P11, but in the last four laps he ended up losing a position and crossing the finish line in P12.
“Today everything went a little better. I managed to at least make a competitive qualification. It's not easy when you go through Q1 and you have to do the same thing again in Q2, but I was happy to have managed to do a good lap. I didn't have much more in terms of speed in Q2, nothing at least that would allow me to progress. I had a good start and the first corners were also positive, but after two or three laps I started to feel that my rear tire wasn't having the best grip and I struggled to maintain the pace. I also found myself struggling to turn into Turn 11 in the fastest sector and it was here that I lost the most time on my lap there. Fortunately, with what we learned today, we will be able to take a new step tomorrow [Sunday]. We made a big leap from Friday to today [Saturday] and I hope we can do the same in relation to the main race”, says the 28-year-old driver.
Best result ever for the CrytoDATA RNF MotoGP Team in 2023
The San Marino Grand Prix represented the best result yet for the CrytoDATA RNF MotoGP Team. While Miguel Oliveira closed the race with a very strong sixth place, his teammate Raúl Fernandez took home his best Grand Prix in the MotoGP premier class in eighth place, after 27 laps at the Circuito de Misano Marco Simoncelli.
Having started from 10th place on the starting grid, Oliveira achieved his usual strong start which soon placed him in seventh position, after just a few corners. With a very strong and constant pace, the Portuguese rider managed to hold this position throughout practically the entire race and even managed to progress to sixth, with just five laps left until the end of the race. He thus managed to cross the finish line in a fantastic sixth place, which gave him another 10 points in the general classification of the MotoGP World Championship.
“I'm not over the moon, but I'm happy. I'm glad I ended the weekend this way. We started with some difficulties in adapting my riding style to the route and the bike. Finally, we managed to turn things around on Saturday, including a good ‘Sprint Race’. Today [Sunday], we managed to find a good additional feeling with the bike. The team helped me with some changes to make me feel even more comfortable and I'm very happy with that. I'm also very happy for the whole team, they did an excellent job helping me, and achieving a good result together is always the best”, concluded Oliveira.
The next MotoGP round takes place over the weekend of September 22nd to 24th, in India, on the new and exotic asphalt of the Buddh International Circuit.
