Miguel Oliveira ended WorldSBK’s FP2 session at Estoril in fourth place, giving BMW an encouraging result after the manufacturer struggled to reach the top ten in the previous two rounds. The result lifted the tone of Friday, but it did not remove the weekend’s remaining questions.

The main uncertainty concerns the front tyre. Oliveira described the situation as delicate and said the team is keeping its options open, ready to use a different compound if conditions require it. He was satisfied with Friday overall, although wind and a lack of grip made it difficult to put together a genuinely fast lap.

Suspension work brings the bike closer

The motorcycle’s basic balance was already at a good level from FP1. During the second session, BMW made two basic suspension adjustments, moving the bike closer to the operating window the team was looking for. The benefit became clearer in the closing minutes, when most riders switched to a new tyre and Oliveira managed to produce two good laps.

Despite finishing fourth, Oliveira kept his expectations measured for the next day. BMW still needs to extract more from the complete package and become more consistent when producing a single outright fast lap, while the front-compound decision remains open. Oliveira said the team would continue making adjustments, rather than treating Friday’s competitive result as a guarantee for the rest of the weekend.