P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Miguel Oliveira says his performance at the Dutch WorldSBK is worse than expected after Friday’s two practice sessions.
Miguel Oliveira expressed that he anticipated challenges from the BMW M1000 RR and the TT Circuit Assen layout at the Dutch WorldSBK, but not to the extent experienced on Friday. During the third World Superbike round of 2026, he found himself outside the top-10 in both practices, with a crash at turn 10 in FP1. Despite this, Oliveira’s teammate, Danilo Petrucci, managed to finish as the fastest non-Ducati rider in fourth place. Oliveira acknowledged the difficulty of the Assen track for BMW but admitted that the actual performance was worse than expected. He mentioned struggling to turn the bike in the flowing corners of Assen and was unsatisfied with the improvements made during the afternoon sessions. Looking ahead, Oliveira recognized the need for substantial progress to increase competitiveness in the upcoming races.
