Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira on Sunday regretted abandoning the MotoGP Grand Prix of Portugal after being hit by Spaniard Marc Márquez in an “overambitious maneuver” that left him unable to fight for the “first podium” of The season.
Speaking to journalists outside the pits, Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia) said the incident is “easy to explain”.
“It was a bit of an ambitious catch-up effort. [Marc Márquez] Had no room to stop, avoided the rider in front of him [o espanhol Jorge Martin] and landed on me,” said the Portuguese pilot.
Miguel Oliveira, who has already spoken to Marc Márquez (Honda), said he knew “it wasn’t on purpose” and that “of course the apology has been accepted”.
Still, he did not criticize the “overambitious” maneuver of the Spanish pilot, who reportedly told the Portuguese that he had brake problems.
“If you have problems with the brakes, you brake before, not after, and we don’t try to overtake,” emphasized the Portuguese Aprilia rider.
Oliveira also lamented that Márquez was “hurt [fratura na mão direita]and leaves doubts about recovery for the next race, a week from now, in Argentina.
“I don’t know if I will be 100% fit, but I will try. I have a very large bruise on my right leg. We know there are no fractures in the neck of the femur, but we are going to do an MRI anyway to rule out possible tire injuries,” explains Miguel Oliveira.
The pilot from Almada believes the outcome is “even more frustrating knowing that he could get a good result” in the Algarve race.
“I had a good start, first lap first and then Pecco [Bagnaia] passed me, I knew I had room to improve because the tires were still cold. It’s too inglorious for the race to end so quickly, with so many expectations raised,” Oliveira lamented.
The Portuguese was knocked down by Marc Márquez at the start of the third round, as he finished second in the MotoGP race of the Portuguese GP, the opening round of the World Speed Championship.
The Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) was the winner.
Source: DN
