Race pace was what we expected: Miguel Oliveira

The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider won the Catalan MotoGP race

Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira, after winning the Catalan MotoGP on Sunday, feels the race pace was what he and the team expected.

“In the beginning, the race pace was something that we kind of expected. We also expected that Fabio (Quartararo) would be faster. But he did not have that much in the pocket today. So, when he overtook me, I saw my chance to stay with him and disturb him a little bit. Then he was just staying attached to me. Then there was the unfortunate thing with his leather (suit),” the Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider said in the post-race press conference.

“From my perspective, it was hard to understand what was going on behind me. In the beginning, there were a couple of switches of positions. In the second place, I got a little gap. I was comfortable and I could be gentle with the tyres and not make any mistakes. That was the key to be able to finish. It was quite hard for everyone I guess, but it was extra hard for me because I had the hard front tyre. But the last few laps were hard for me to stay on the bike and not crash," Oliveira added.

Frenchman Johann Zarco (Ducati Pramac Racing) finished second, while Australian Jack Miller (Ducati Lenovo Team) came in third. Championship leader Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha MotoGP) came in sixth.

Valentino Rossi (Yamaha SRT), Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda), Pol Espargaro (Repsol Honda), Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia), Danilo Petrucci (Tech 3) and Iker Lecuona (Tech 3) crashed out of the race.

In the riders’ championship, Quartararo leads with 115 points, while Zarco is second with 101 points, Miller is third with 90 points, Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) is fourth on 88 points, reigning world champion Joan Mir (Ecstar Suzuki) is on 78, while Maverick Vinales (Yamaha MotoGP) in on 75.

Said Zarco of the race and his second spot: “I was happy to finish second because in the last two laps, I really pushed a lot to catch Miguel. I was strong in the first sector, but in the second and the last one, it was not easy to gain time. I was thinking of attacking him, but then I thought it was better to finish second. Even when you try to catch a rider for victory and you are still in second place, you don’t want to make any mistakes because second is anyway pretty good.

"The race overall was better than I expected because I had good control over the rear of the bike. Sometimes, it was sliding but I could keep it on the ground to follow the others.

“I am so pleased with the championship situation at the moment. When I could overtake Joan and I was on the podium, I was thinking it will be good to be in front of Fabio to gain points and don’t lose," he added.

Miller said: “First of all, the race was going good for me. I executed my plan more or less to perfection. I got out front and felt fantastic. I had a bit of a moment at Turn 4. And then I was able to recover. At Turn 5, I missed a gear later on and went wide. And then, when I was in the draft of the other guys, I started to suffer with the front tyre temperature. I tried not to slipstream and get some cold air on the tyre. No matter what I did, I could not get it to drop. I was also being really, really gentle on the rear tyre.

“I was trying to get a bit of a gap between me and Joan Mir and Fabio Quartararo I think at that point of time. I was trying to get a bit of a gap to get some fresh air on the front tyre. As I did that, Joan came past. Every time I did that, I kept getting behind somebody. So, I had to manage with the front tyre towards the end.

“That was good for us and we moved up a position in the championship and we gained on Fabio. I stayed on the bike and first podium here in Barcelona," he added.