Miguel Oliveira was classified only 18th in the MotoGP Japanese GP, despite running in the top five and having the potential to reach the podium. Water entering his helmet hindered his visibility, forcing him to enter the pits just moments before the red flag was shown.
The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team rider told SportTV that even before entering the pits, he had some close calls due to the lack of visibility, and he didn’t hide his frustration with the outcome:
– It happened that I started to lose visibility completely. I couldn’t see anything in front of me. The conditions were really challenging. I had a few scares three laps before I retired, not knowing where to put the wheels, turning too early into the corners because I couldn’t see, not knowing where I could brake, accelerate, so I was riding completely blind. Obviously, now it’s easy to say that I retired maybe half a lap too early, but the conditions were unmanageable. And it was very frustrating, yes.