Miguel Oliveira Finds Positives in P12 Despite Missed Sector at Barcelona
The opening day of MotoGP practice at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya delivered mixed emotions for Miguel Oliveira, who secured a solid P12 for Prima Pramac Yamaha while feeling that even more was within reach. The Portuguese rider left the session encouraged by the overall feeling of the bike but also frustrated after a small mistake in the opening sector cost him a potential direct Q2 spot.
Barcelona is notorious for its low grip surface, often punishing riders who push too aggressively and rewarding those with precise balance and clean corner exit. Oliveira approached Friday with cautious optimism, and while he narrowly missed out on the top 10, the day ended with more positives than negatives.
A Lap That Could Have Changed Everything
“It’s normal to be frustrated when you’re so close,” Oliveira admitted after the session. “But overall it was a good session. I had a good feeling with the bike, the time attacks went well, I just missed the first sector on my best lap. Still, the overall feeling was positive.”
The missed sector — a crucial section where Barcelona’s technical complexity often defines qualifying hopes — left Oliveira just a few tenths outside the cut-off for automatic entry into Q2. But rather than dwell on the misstep, the Portuguese rider focused on the encouraging signs from both his Yamaha M1 and the team’s setup direction.
Yamaha Grip Surprise Brings Encouragement
One of the key talking points of the weekend has been grip — or the lack thereof. The Catalan track has historically been one of the toughest for tire wear and traction. However, Oliveira found himself pleasantly surprised by how the bike responded during the soft-tire time attack phase.
“The grip was poor, but surprisingly better on the time attack,” he explained. “I didn’t struggle as much as I expected, maybe I was just too pessimistic.”
That improvement, subtle but meaningful, has boosted confidence for Saturday’s qualifying and sprint race. Even in challenging conditions, Oliveira and the Pramac Yamaha squad appear to have found a setup that allows them to defend key sectors of the lap — especially braking stability and mid-corner speed.
Playing to the Yamaha’s Strengths
While Yamaha continues to adapt its M1 to MotoGP’s modern demands, Oliveira identified two areas where the bike delivered on Friday: braking control and cornering speed.
“We can defend ourselves on the brakes and carry speed without being too slow in the corners,” he said. “Otherwise, you stress the tires a lot when you accelerate.”
That balance — braking stability and clean corner flow — is essential at Barcelona, where managing rear tire degradation often determines whether a rider fades or fights in the final laps. Oliveira’s ability to carry corner speed without sacrificing too much on acceleration offers hope that race pace could be competitive even if a Q2 berth proves elusive.
Confidence Building in a Transition Year
For Oliveira, 2025 is already a season of adjustment. The move to Prima Pramac Yamaha, now a factory-supported satellite team spearheading Yamaha’s new era, placed the experienced Portuguese rider at the center of a major technical rebuild. Every practice session is therefore not just about lap time, but also about gathering data, refining electronics, and providing the kind of feedback that will influence Yamaha’s next-generation machine — a V4-powered M1 slated for 2026.
The P12 finish on Friday may not grab headlines, but for a rider in the midst of adaptation, the positives carry weight. The consistent feeling on braking, the reduced grip struggles, and the strong time attack improvement all point to an upward trajectory.
Aiming Higher for Saturday
With only fractions of a second separating multiple riders in the midfield, Saturday’s morning session represents another opportunity for Oliveira to punch through into Q2. The team’s technical crew is expected to evaluate minor setup changes overnight, targeting sharper drive out of slow corners and more consistency through the first sector — the very place where Oliveira felt he lost his best lap.
In MotoGP’s current era, where qualifying position can dictate the rhythm of the entire weekend, that single improvement could make the difference between battling for a top-six finish or struggling in traffic.
The Bigger Picture: Progress Over Points
Oliveira’s measured optimism reflects the balance Yamaha’s project demands — short-term competitiveness paired with long-term evolution. While the temptation to chase results is ever-present, the Portuguese rider’s value lies equally in his ability to refine the package under real racing conditions.
Friday at Barcelona proved that, even in tricky conditions, there is progress to be made. And in MotoGP, momentum often begins with small steps: a cleaner sector, a better exit, a slightly stronger lap at exactly the right time.
For Oliveira, P12 is neither a disappointment nor a breakthrough. It’s a signpost on a longer journey — one that still promises podium fights in the near future, and perhaps even greater rewards once Yamaha’s ambitious 2026 project hits the grid.
