Oliveira: Ducati 'forced' everyone into aero world, 'we have a lot to test'

Miguel Oliveira finished the official Sepang MotoGP test in P15 after yet more struggles for the Austrian manufacturer. 

Oliveira, who has been testing several new aero packages for KTM, claims every manufacturer is having to work harder than ever in this ‘key’ area due to Ducati leading the development charge.

"I think we were all forced to get into this area because Ducati opened this world for us," Oliveira said. "It sort of started to push us in this direction and now we see that we have a lot to test regarding this. 

"It’s important to go faster to help the bike be more stable and to be able to really take the maximum advantage of the horsepower we have. 

"When you look for downforce you want to accelerate but now we find out that you can even stop faster so it is something and an area that wasn’t considered on the bike but it’s now a key ingredient for the base."

While Oliveira’s team-mate Brad Binder cited traction and rear spinning as the many areas of concern following the Sepang test, the Portuguese rider alluded to the 2022 RC16 feeling a ‘bit more heavy’ than before, whilst also a bike that is not as ‘agile’ as expected.

Oliveira continued: "The other side is that the bike feels a bit more heavy. It’s not as agile as you would expect so you have to start thinking about how to work in other areas of the bike with geometry and heights and everything else just to compensate. 

"It is not easy and it requires some time because it is a whole new window you are opening in terms of set-up, how much power you can use and when you can use it. 

"To have the concessions now would be nice! We need to make important decisions in less time, but it's like that. Fortunately the test team does good work and with the rookies here we could collect some extra data."