KTM’s danger man
■ Oliveira enters 2021 as a fast, confident full-factory rider
Miguel Oliveira ensured that the paddock and MotoGP fans stopped and took notice last season.
His last corner heroics at the Red Bull Ring to secure Tech3’s, and his own, maiden MotoGP victory was one thing, but his efforts at the season finale at Portimao were on another level. The Portuguese star dominated his home GP from the get-go, nobody even came close as he cruised to victory with a 3.193s advantage – it was over four seconds at one stage.
So, why wouldn’t Oliveira be the most confident rider on the grid in Qatar? Not only does he have that momentum, but he now has the factory KTM crew around him and working based on his requirements – or as Oliveira described it: “A tailor-made experience.” Furthermore, and this should worry his rivals, the extra pressure of being a factory rider, and now being an expected race winner, doesn’t appear to faze him. “The way I look at it, it’s a bonus,” says Oliveira. “I’m much more relaxed now because I’ve proven I can win a race. I don’t take anything for granted and I think this season I’ll obviously continue to work the way I know to be able to still step up our performance a little bit higher. “It’s great to come into a new season with a greater challenge, knowing that you can win a race and this technical package can win. I’m very excited and at the same time, very confident.”
Oliveira’s comfortable with his own ability and that of the team around him, he’s also a clever rider. The 26-year-old, who’s a Moto3 and Moto2 runner-up, is a real thinker out on the track, carefully analysing all of the options available to him. Ultimately, that’s why he won in Austria last year, by observing Pol Espargaro and Jack Miller ahead of him and acknowledging the likelihood of a final corner clash that he could benefit from.
One thing that both the RC16 and Oliveira must improve this year is consistency. While he won two races, Oliveira finished outside of the top four in the other 12 outings – which is not title contender form. His best finish aside from his victories was fifth at both Misano 2 and Valencia 1.
Of course, with another year’s worth of experience, there’s every chance Oliveira can fix the consistency issue and become a genuine title threat.