The year 2023 was particularly tough for Miguel Oliveira, with many injuries and problems especially in the Sprint races, with the Trackhouse Racing driver defending a format in which there is less “pressure” for the drivers, with fewer sessions where they have to be in sprint mode.
After the team presentation, the Portuguese was questioned by the press about the championship format and whether he was preparing something different to address this aspect of the championship: ‘Certainly this past season, I believe we couldn’t do anything, or at least it was very difficult. I think towards the end of the season we saw that everyone could adapt to the format a little better.’
And he continued: ‘It’s tough for a driver who is competing for a position to be told to brake earlier, to be more careful and not overtake in the first corners or the first two laps, but I think we all became a little better towards the end of the season, so we’ll see, everything is experience. Last year, having the Sprint race in every GP resulted in more stress for all the drivers, especially in the mental aspect because you have to be on top of your game in every session, in addition to FP1, from August onwards, and that was very stressful.’
Oliveira would like, he revealed, to have fewer sessions where he is “forced” to push to the maximum: ‘As a MotoGP rider, I would like to have a race weekend format with fewer Sprint races.’
