Miguel Oliveira is excited. The Portuguese rider spoke about the new challenge he will have at the controls of the Trackhouse, the synergies he will have with the entire Aprilia structure, direct access to information and innovations on the bike and direct contact with factory team riders Aleix Espargaró and Maverick Viñales.
‘The new colours give me very good feelings. A bike with a very competitive design, but also with a very appealing technical package with a factory bike so we can start pre-season testing straight away. So I can’t wait for it all to start. It’s a season that I’m looking forward to complementing with the good results that both Aprilia and I are hoping for. Obviously, we have this long-term vision because it’s an investment we’re making from this season onwards. So we have to work on the future from this season onwards’ Oliveira began, in an interview with Sport TV.
After a 2023 that was marked by several crashes, Miguel points out that the drivers are more used to the new dynamic in the premier class.
– I believe that by the end of the 2023 season we were all a little more adapted to the format because there were far fewer crashes in the second half of the season than there were in the first, in terms of the sprints and the main races. The start of the championship, with all the anxiety, there may be one situation or another, but I think we’re all more adapted to the format and that will help fewer crashes happen.
The Portuguese athlete finished last season with 76 points, in 16th place in the overall standings: ‘Whatever may come in 2024 that’s more difficult than this, I think I’ll have more maturity to deal with it. I think that all the experiences, whether good or bad, will help me because what I’m looking for at the moment for this 2024 season is, of course, to gain experience race after race and to be able to be with the drivers at the front’.
And what are his wishes for the 2024 season: ‘Many victories’ he said.