Despite being a significant difference in the concept, in part, of the new bike for the 2024 attack, Miguel Oliveira made it clear that the DNA of the Aprilia RS-GP he rode last year and the one he will have at his disposal this year is similar, at least in terms of the way he rides. He also admitted that he lacks ‘something’ in terms of lap pace, even though the package is ‘very competitive’.
‘I’d like to say we’ve changed something, in terms of set-up, but I’ve done exactly the same in terms of riding. For me it’s something highly frustrating because I knew I was riding well but physically the bike wasn’t «there» and finally they managed to find something good for me’, revealed the Portuguese rider in light of the improvement made in testing.
In light of Aleix Espargaró’s recent very positive results at Losail, Oliveira was asked if he believed he could be fighting for the front seats, and he responded positively by saying: ‘I hope so. Honestly, looking at the lap times we feel we’re there. In terms of pace we’re still a bit short of challenging, even compared to Aleix, but I think that will depend on the track, the conditions, tyres, the usual things, but I think we have a very competitive package’.
On whether he had to make any changes in terms of his own riding style from the 2022 bike, the #88 clarified: ‘The bike is different but I didn’t have to do any specific work to change my riding style from what I had with the 2022 bike. In fact, I had to change my riding style between the bike I had in 2022 [KTM RC16] and the one I had in 2023 [Aprilia RS-GP], but between these two bikes specifically the riding style is quite similar’.