Following his tenth-place finish at the Catalan GP, Miguel Oliveira enters the MotoGP Italian GP. It’s the home round for Aprilia, the manufacturer to which he is connected through the Trackhouse Racing satellite team
The Portuguese rider spoke about his approach to the Mugello round, where he expects to have an easier time compared to Barcelona due to the level of grip: ‘I come here open-minded, to be honest. I don’t have any big references from last year because I have just came back from a shoulder injury. So I was just riding to get some time on the bike and not really being 100% fit. But let’s see. I’m optimistic. For sure we have much more grip than in Barcelona and that should help, but also should help everybody else. So let’s see if we can handle it. And I’m just looking forward to start the weekend and see what the weather do also, as it looks a bit unstable’.
Asked if he hopes it rains, Oliveira said he is indifferent: ‘It doesn’t matter for me, to be honest, at this moment. If it rains a little bit, it might not be that bad, but let’s see’.
Regarding how it is to ride on a wet track at the fast Mugello circuit, the Portuguese commented: ‘I don’t have any big memories of riding here on the wet, probably with the wet tyre. But it’s alright, it’s a normal track, it’s good. Changing direction is obviously always tricky. But it’s not that bad’.