MIGUEL OLIVEIRA
2020 MotoGP world championship 2 race wins: Styrian and Portuguese GPs
‘If I had to improve something I’d be a bit crazier’
Like Brad Binder, Miguel Oliveira is a product of the Red Bull and KTM star-making machine: Red Bull/KTM Rookies Cup, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto3, Red Bull KTM Ajo Moto2 and now Red Bull KTM Tech 3. However, the 25-year-old – who became the first Portuguese rider to win a GP when he won the Mugello Moto3 race in 2015 – is unlike most racers. He went to college and has a profession (he’s a dentist), so his approach to racing is perhaps more measured than some. In short, he’s MotoGP’s new Andrea Dovizioso. Tech 3 team owner Herve Poncharal has run a GP team for more than 30 years, so he can judge Oliveira against former Tech 3 riders like Cal Crutchlow, Dovi and others. “In 2019 Miguel was a rookie but he was already thinking like Dovi,” says Poncharal. “When I had Dovi and Cal on my team Cal was like a Latin guy – shouting, pushing hard, making mistakes, but lots of positives – while Dovi was more like a northern European, always cool, never shouting. Miguel is very like that. “People think that maybe he lacks that little bit of madness and maybe he does, but he gives so much information to help the development and the setting of the bike. He’s a very intelligent rider – he would be very good in Formula 1, where you need to be a wise wolf.”
Oliveira’s debut MotoGP victory at Red Bull Ring was crafty as hell – he watched and waited behind Jack Miller and Pol Espargaro until they made a mess of the last corner and motored past to win the race. On home asphalt at Portimao he did the opposite – got the holeshot and left the rest of the pack standing. “When everything goes well I can make very consistent lap times and be very smooth, which I think is an advantage,” he says. “If I had to improve something I’d say be less conscious sometimes, be a bit crazier, even though what we do is already quite crazy.”
Next year Oliveira moves into the factory KTM team, where he will play a major part in developing the RC16. “In the box I’m able to give good information, even when practice doesn’t go so well,” he adds. “So I guess I’m always able to give some feedback, rather than go away and not talk to anyone, so I’d say that’s a strong point.”