From the lack of speed on the straights, to the enthusiasm with the Trackhouse, to the support of Aprilia and Pedro Acosta: Miguel Oliveira after the Qatar GP

The MotoGP season started last weekend in Losail and, a few days later, Miguel Oliveira was at a sponsor’s event in Lisbon. There, the Trackhouse Racing driver spoke at a press conference about his new team, about the 2024 Aprilia RS-GP, the relationship and support he has from the Noale manufacturer… and also from one of the men of the moment in the premier class , rookie Pedro Acosta.

This is a year of many changes for «Falcão», starting with the team – which, despite maintaining the RNF structure, is a new project with a different philosophy and other responsible people. Oliveira believes in Justin Marks’ initiative, as he told Record newspaper:

– It is too early to see the effect of the North American administration. There have already been things that we realized have very good “legs” to run on, such as the arrival of Davide Brivio to the team, an experienced team leader, who knows how to move around the paddock very well. I think that in the long term we will be able to bring more people to Trackhouse, more people with great experience. Obviously this bodes well for the team.

Oliveira, who makes no secret of the fact that he would like to have more support from Aprilia – promising to maximize the resources it has – highlighted that the objective among the Noale riders is to surpass each other: ‘Just have the same support as them, if that’s the case things happen. The goal is within the brand to finish ahead of each other. We have Alex [Espargaró], who at the moment is the only rider who stands out from everyone due to his driving style and which seems to ‘marry’ perfectly with the bike. We still have some work to do to adapt the bike to our riding style and that takes time. […]. Only as the races progress, if we persist in these difficulties, will we be able to find a solution.‘.

At the moment, Aleix Espargaró has been the reference for Aprilia riders, considering that for others the task is even more difficult due to the degree of dependence that the bike has on the available grip.

After five days of testing and the Qatar GP, the driver from Almada will face the home round at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve… and believes that the Portuguese route may be more favorable to the RS-GP: ‘I think that on this circuit it will be easier to hide what is not great about the bike yet. Obviously we lack speed on the straights, but we have a bike that allows us to have a lot of speed per corner. In Portimão we always ride very inclined, whether to the right or left, there are few moments during the lap when the bike is in a straight line. Because of the lack of stability I feel, this helps. But these are all theories, which need to be proven over the weekend‘.

One of the drivers that is making waves is rookie Pedro Acosta. Oliveira recognizes his qualities and potential, but was not particularly impressed with the Spaniard’s performance in Losail: ‘I have a very good opinion of him, he will be a champion soon. I believe this has already been noticed. As they say in football slang, you will be held in your lap for this to happen. Compared to other rookies, I don’t think he really stood out in Qatar […]. But due to his character, he will undoubtedly be a great champion.‘.