The Portuguese rider Miguel Oliveira (Aprilia) today guaranteed direct passage to the second qualifying stage (Q2) of the Austrian MotoGP Grand Prix, the 10th race of the season. The pilot from Almada was the 10th fastest in today’s training sessions, with a time of 1.29.160 minutes, 0.627 seconds behind the fastest, the Italian Marco Bezzecchi (Ducati), who set a new record on the Austrian circuit by Spielberg as it ran in 1,28,533 minutes, to the delight of VR46 team owner Valentino Rossi. Spaniard Maverick Viñales (Aprilia) was second fastest, at 0.044 seconds, with Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) in third, at 0.244.
The 10th place guaranteed Miguel Oliveira the last direct spot for Q2, while 13 riders, including Spaniard Marc Márquez (Honda), will compete in the first qualifying phase (Q1), on Saturday, which qualifies the two fastest for Q2.
The Spielberg circuit was where Miguel Oliveira made his debut in the premier class, in 2020, thus achieving the first of five victories he had in MotoGP.
The afternoon timed practice session is now the only one that serves as a direct qualification for Q2 for the 10 fastest.
Today’s afternoon was still marked by some showers that fell when there were still 24 minutes to go, but they weren’t enough for the riders to change tires. In the morning, in free practice, Miguel Oliveira had been ranked 17th.
On Saturday, there is another free practice session and qualifying, before the sprint race, scheduled for the afternoon.
The Portuguese rider arrives at this 10th of 20 rounds of the MotoGP World Championship in 15th place, with 40 points, with Italian Francesco Bagnaia (Ducati) leading the way, with 214 points.
2023-08-18 15:22:36
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