Factory Red Bull KTM rider Miguiel Oliveira didn’t find the speed he needed in FP3 and qualifying at Spielberg, so he has to start from 17th on the grid. But he has his sights set on the top ten.
Miguel Oliveira has an arduous task ahead of him in the 28-lap race at Spielberg, as the Portuguese did not make it into qualifying 2 on Saturday and ended up sitting 17th on the grid (next to Stefan Bradl) in Q1. In Q1, however, he lost 0.382 seconds to the best time of Aleix Espargaró, with whose factory Aprilia he is to contest the MotoGP World Championship in 2023.
“It was tough because I lost a few tenths on my best FP3 lap, so it didn’t work out to make it straight into Q2,” said the Red Bull KTM factory driver. “And Q1 was tough. We knew we didn’t have any more reserves, it would be difficult to get into Q2. Because the times in Q1 are always. A bit faster than in FP3. We didn’t have any more trump cards to play. Things went a little better in FP4, but we mightn’t keep the pace from the beginning to the end. Now I’m in 17th place on the grid. That can no longer be changed. Now we can do some fine tuning for Sunday. There was a lot to analyze on Saturday night. Then we have to hope that we can make up a few positions in the race. But that’s a special challenge here because we lose a lot of time in the second sector. So it’s hard to get any closer to the top. But there are a few good overtaking opportunities. I also hope to be able to make a small leap forward right at the start. I then have to make a few correct decisions in the first lap, then we can move forward quickly.”
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Welcome back to the Red Bull Ring, Enea Bastianini
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Francesco Bagnaia
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Raul Fernandez
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Jack Miller
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Darryn Binder
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Miguel Oliveira
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Remy Gardner
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Remy Gardner
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Pol Espargaro
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fabio quartararo
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Maverick Vinales
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Remy Gardner
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Stefan Bradl
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Andrea Dovizioso
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Raul Fernandez
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Alex Márquez
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Miguel Oliveira
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Aleix Espargaró
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Andrea Dovizioso
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Jack Miller
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Francesco Bagnaia
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Alex Rins
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Fabio di Giannantonio
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Francesco Bagnaia
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johann zarco
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Enea Bastianini, Francesco Bagnaia & Jack Miller
Oliveira celebrated his fourth MotoGP victory in Mandalika/Indonesia in 2022, and in 2020 he won his first race in the premier class here in Spielberg. Two weeks ago he shone at Silverstone with sixth place, just 2.7 seconds behind winner Pecco Bagnaia. “That was my best performance in a dry race this year,” he is convinced.
What does Miguel Oliveira say regarding the plans for the “Sprint Races” in 2023? “We will see. It’s an additional bonus for the fans, it will definitely be exciting », says the Portuguese, who is in tenth place in the World Cup. “It will be a new challenge for the teams to choose the right setup for the qualifying for the two races and to manage the tire allocation. I hope everything goes well and we will enjoy the new Saturday program.”
MotoGP result Q2, Spielberg:
1. Bastianini, Ducati, 1:28.772 min
2. Bagnaia, Ducati, + 0.024 sec
3. Miller, Ducati, +0.109
4. Martin, Ducati, +0.186
5. Quartararo, Yamaha, + 0,231
6. Zarco, Ducati, + 0.274
7. Viñales, Aprilia, + 0.363
8. Mir, Suzuki, + 0,483
9. Aleix Espargaró, Aprilia, + 0.483
10. Di Giannantonio, Ducati, + 0.564
11. Rins, Suzuki + 0,652
12. Brad Binder, KTM, + 0,764
The rest of the starting lineup:
13. Marini, Ducati, 1:29.386 min
14. Nakagami, Honda, 1:29,390
15. Pol Espargaro, Honda, 1:29.475
16. Morbidelli, Yamaha, 1:29,540
17. Oliveira, KTM, 1:29,613
18. Bradl, Honda, 1:29,809
19. Dovizioso, Yamaha, 1:30,085
20. Bezzecchi, Ducati, 1:30.122
21. Darryn Binder, Yamaha, 1:30,328
22. Gardner, KTM, 1:30,397
23. Raúl Fernández, KTM, 1:30.475
24. Savadori, Aprilia, 1:30,487
25. Alex Marquez, Honda, 1:33.653
