Miguel Oliveira: BMW “not blindfolded” ahead of Portuguese WorldSBK

2026 WorldSBK rookie Miguel Oliveira says his BMW team is "not blindfolded" at the Portuguese Round, where he wants them to be challenging Nicolo Bulega.

The Portuguese rider, who joined BMW’s factory World Superbike team this year after leaving MotoGP, had a decent debut in Australia in terms of pace, which was generally better than that of his more WorldSBK-experienced teammate Danilo Petrucci. 

But ultimately it was pace that was largely overshadowed by a mistake made at the start of Superpole, as he crashed on his first flying lap and failed to set a time, meaning he started from the back of the grid. A technical issue in the Superpole Race meant he was not able to improve his grid position for Race 2.

Despite the poor starting position, Oliveira was in the top-10 in both long races at Phillip Island.

Moving on to round two, Oliveira says that he would be happy to get a podium finish in his native Portugal, and that his BMW team needs to be ready to “challenge” current championship leader Nicolo Bulega, who won all three races in Australia and finished second in all three races at Portimao last year to Toprak Razgatlioglu.

“It would be extra special to get a podium or a win,” Miguel Oliveira said, speaking to WorldSBK.com.

“It’s a privilege to race here in Portugal and I’m full of energy to take on the weekend. 

“We prepared the setup at the test, so we’re not coming in blindfolded, but we need to be ready to challenge Bulega.”

Oliveira also said that he feels his preparation level has improved for the second round of the season compared to round one.

“The first feeling is that I feel more ready for the weekend after my first one at Phillip Island and the test,” Oliveira said.

“I feel more comfortable on the bike and that I am more myself. 

“Coming to my home round, I’m motivated to give the crowd and my team the best result possible.”