KTM was expected to be a regular podium contender in 2021 after scoring three victories across its factory and satellite Tech3 squads in a breakout 2020 season for the Austrian manufacturer.
But, despite wins for factory pair Oliveira at Barcelona and for Brad Binder in a wild Austrian Grand Prix, KTM struggled to fifth in the constructors’ standings and scored just five more points than it did across the COVID-shortened 14-round 2020 campaign.
Oliveira – who ended up 14th in the standings and 184 points adrift of world champion Fabio Quartararo in a season also blighted by a wrist injury in Austria – believes KTM’s rivals, namely Ducati, made major strides in the second half of the 2021 season and this further masked KTM’s own improvements.
“Ultimately, I think especially the second half of the season our competitors raised up the step, especially Ducati,” Oliveira said when asked by Motorsport.com following KTM’s 2022 launch if 2021 was as bad as it looked.
“So that made it…
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