Misjudgment at the MotoGP sprint in Qatar leads to premature season end: Miguel Oliveira starts the 2024 season with an open penalty
RNF-Aprilia rider Miguel Oliveira is undoubtedly one of the unluckiest riders of the 2023 MotoGP season. Several injuries through no fault of his own have set the Portuguese rider back this year. Oliveira suffered another injury at the Grand Prix in Qatar. This time, however, he was the culprit
In the sprint race, Oliveira misjudged his braking for turn 6 and collided with fellow brand rider Aleix Espargaro. Oliveira injured himself again and was therefore unable to take part in the Grand Prix. The MotoGP race winner will also be absent from the season finale in Valencia.
According to a statement from the team, Oliveira was examined at the Medical Center and underwent a CT scan at the local hospital, which confirmed a fracture to his right shoulder blade, which will put him out of action for the rest of the season. Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori will step in for the season finale and the following test
Miguel Oliveira takes a penalty into the new MotoGP season
Brisant: The race organizers imposed a long lap penalty for causing a collision. This applies to the next Grand Prix. As Oliveira did not take part in the main race and will also miss the final, he will take the penalty into the new season.
The RNF team lodged an appeal, but this was rejected after a review of the data and a hearing with the parties involved
How the collision in turn 6 happened according to Miguel Oliveira
Oliveira is annoyed about his mishap: “It was a small racing accident. I collided with my brand colleague, which really annoys me. I got away well at the start and made up positions. But then I braked too late in turn 6. Aleix didn’t brake too early, but a bit too hard. I straightened the bike when I realized I was going to hit him. “
“But I couldn’t avoid touching his rear wheel. Unfortunately, we both crashed. That disappoints me. It was a small miscalculation that resulted in both of us landing on the ground. I injured myself, which is not ideal,” said Oliveira.
Conclusion on MotoGP 2023: Great potential, but low yield
According to an initial assessment, no surgery is necessary. But the 2023 MotoGP season has ended prematurely. “It looks like I’ll miss the race and the test,” regrets Oliveira, who has experienced a season with many setbacks
“It was a miserable season,” summarizes Oliveira, who suffered an injury at the season opener in Portimao when he was torpedoed by Marc Marquez. “In the end, I was only able to finish eight races. It’s not what I expected,” said Oliveira, who is in P16 in the overall standings.
“It’s been everything this season: bad luck, crashes and incidents with other riders and technical problems. But it was character-building for the coming season. I hope that I have now shaken off the bad luck and that next season will be better,” says Oliveira optimistically about the 2024 season, in which he will contest his second year for RNF-Aprilia.
