Miguel Oliveira finished ninth in the Sprint race of the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix. The Trackhouse Racing rider started from 14th, dropped to 20th in the early corners, and then gradually recovered to the points positions, also benefiting from crashes ahead of him.
At one point, the Portuguese was in eighth, but was delayed by a pass from Marc Márquez (Gresini/Ducati)… which he confronted the rival about, as he recounted
– I told him he owes me a new windshield and a new air filter because of the rocks. I told him, ‘Look, the way you pass is to put half a bike and then come out of the braking, if the outside rider stays, lean against him and if you push him out, you push him out.’ And he said, ‘Yes, that’s how I need to pass, otherwise I don’t stand a chance.’ It’s fair, I leave it to the stewards to decide. The thing is, he passed me cleanly because I lifted the bike and there was a water puddle in turn 9. It happened twice. That’s how it is.
Johann Zarco’s (LCR Honda) crash on the final lap allowed Oliveira to finish in ninth place and, thus, score a point in a race where he didn’t seem to have the potential to do so without all the incidents ahead of him.
