P18 and Oliveira’s Candid Confessions After Practice in Hungary
Miguel Oliveira entered the Hungarian MotoGP weekend with a mixture of determination and realism. After Friday’s practice sessions at the Hungaroring, the Portuguese rider found himself in P18, a position that left much to be desired but also provided valuable insights into his current performance and the ongoing adaptation with his Pramac Yamaha machine. Oliveira did not shy away from addressing the challenges of the day, speaking candidly about the conditions, the technical struggles, and the areas where improvements are still desperately needed. His honesty provided fans and analysts with a clear picture of the delicate balance between frustration and optimism that often defines MotoGP race weekends.
A Day of Mixed Feelings
Speaking after the session, Oliveira summed up his performance by calling it “average — not the worst, not the best.” That sentence captured the essence of his day: a performance that did not collapse into disaster but also fell short of delivering any real breakthroughs. On the time sheets, P18 was far from the top-10 battle, yet it also wasn’t catastrophic enough to undermine the team’s direction heading into Saturday.
The Portuguese rider acknowledged that the Hungaroring track itself lived up to his expectations. The circuit is known for being tight and technical, with minimal straight-line sections that make it difficult for riders to build and carry momentum. Oliveira highlighted how the on-and-off rhythm of the track layout makes it easy to misjudge corners, especially under the pressure of strong winds.
The Challenge of Wind and Corners
Oliveira underlined the wind factor as one of the day’s biggest hurdles. With gusts unsettling the bikes mid-corner and on corner exits, mistakes became all too easy. “The strong wind made it easy to make mistakes,” he said. “It’s easy to overshoot the chicanes — not so much on the braking points, but when you enter the first corner it’s easy to release the brakes and then miss the second.”
These comments highlight the intricate balance MotoGP riders must maintain between aggression and control. A slight miscalculation when carrying speed into a tight sequence of turns can ruin an entire lap, and on a track like Hungary’s, those errors add up quickly.
Setup Progress Despite the Position
While P18 may seem discouraging, Oliveira revealed a silver lining: the team made genuine progress with the bike’s setup throughout the day. In MotoGP, practice sessions are not only about lap times but about establishing a direction for qualifying and the race.
“The good thing is that we figured out more or less the direction to take with the bike setup,” he said, explaining that adjustments during the afternoon helped them refine performance for the time attack laps. Even though the lap times were not perfect, there was a sense that the foundations were being built for Saturday.
However, Oliveira was realistic in acknowledging that even if he had strung together a flawless lap, it probably wouldn’t have been enough to secure a spot in Q2. “We’re still missing a couple of tenths,” he admitted. In a sport where the top 15 riders are often separated by less than a second, that small gap becomes a mountain to climb.
Track Demands Expose Weaknesses
The Hungarian circuit’s lack of flowing high-speed sections makes it a unique challenge for Yamaha’s satellite Pramac team. Oliveira pointed out that the layout offered “never really a place where you can build up speed; it’s always on and off.” This constant acceleration and deceleration places heavy demands on both the rider and the bike’s ability to deliver consistent grip and balance.
For Oliveira, who is still fine-tuning his style on the Yamaha after years with other manufacturers, the Hungaroring magnifies the difficulties of adaptation. The bike requires precise corner entry and exit control, areas where Yamaha has historically struggled compared to Ducati and KTM.
Mental Resilience and Realistic Goals
Despite finishing 18th, Oliveira’s tone was not one of despair. Instead, it reflected mental resilience and a determination to focus on progress rather than just results. In many ways, practice sessions are less about glory and more about groundwork. Oliveira knows that MotoGP weekends are marathons, not sprints, and Friday’s results do not dictate Sunday’s outcome.
His willingness to be candid about shortcomings also speaks volumes about his maturity as a rider. By openly admitting where the weaknesses lie, Oliveira signals to fans and the team that he is focused on problem-solving rather than hiding behind excuses.
Looking Ahead to Qualifying and the Race
The next challenge for Oliveira will be Saturday’s qualifying session, where the fight for a spot in Q2 will intensify. With only “a couple of tenths” separating him from the threshold, the Portuguese star still has a realistic chance to improve his grid position. The question is whether Pramac Yamaha can provide him with those extra margins through further setup refinement.
The wind conditions, tire management, and precision in Hungary’s technical sections will all play a crucial role. Oliveira’s reflections suggest that while his outright pace may not yet match the leaders, his understanding of what needs to be fixed could help him climb the order.
Conclusion: A Day of Honest Self-Assessment
Miguel Oliveira’s P18 finish in Hungarian practice was neither a triumph nor a disaster, but rather a reminder of the thin margins that define MotoGP. His candid confessions revealed the challenges of adapting to the track, the impact of wind, and the ongoing pursuit of precious tenths that separate mid-pack riders from the front-runners.
For Oliveira and Pramac Yamaha, the focus now shifts to turning Friday’s lessons into Saturday’s gains. The weekend is far from lost, but the pressure is on to find those missing tenths and prove that the team’s direction is the right one. In the unpredictable world of MotoGP, where fortunes can change with a single lap, Oliveira’s resilience and honesty could prove to be just as valuable as raw speed.
