Miguel Oliveira had one of his most modest seasons this year since joining MotoGP in 2019. He finished the championship in 16th place, didn’t step onto the podium as consistently seen at least once per season since 2020, and gathered 76 points.
The switch from KTM to CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team marked a new chapter in #88’s career – now at the helm of an Aprilia. There were high expectations, following the competitiveness of the RS-GP in 2022. The year began with an encouraging performance in the Portugal GP’s Sprint race, but in the main race, he was hit by Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda). The Spaniard was penalized and admitted fault, but Oliveira sustained a leg injury and had to miss the Argentina GP.
He returned in Austin with an encouraging fifth place – a result he replicated in the Sprint race of the Spanish GP. However, in the main race in Jerez, another setback occurred. Oliveira was hit by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) and dislocated a shoulder, having to be absent again in the French GP.
In Italy, Oliveira had another retirement before securing a top ten in Germany and failing to finish the main race in Assen. At Silverstone, his return after the summer break resulted in an encouraging fourth place after an impressive recovery. ‘I’m happy! Of course, when you finish that close to the podium and having been in third for a couple of times in the last part of the race, it’s a shame’, admitted the rider from Almada in a press release after the race.
However, the inconsistency continued, and he didn’t finish the main race in Austria. Then in Catalonia, where the Aprilia showed strength, Oliveira didn’t waste the chance: he finished fifth after starting third in his best qualifying of the year.
He began his best sequence of the season – the only time he scored in three consecutive races to enter the Asian tour in 13th place – his best position in the championship. Next was the Japanese GP. The Almada-born rider was fighting for the podium in a rainy race when he had to enter the pits due to a helmet problem.
This happened just before a red flag, and instead of remaining in the top five where he was, he finished in 18th place: classified but in the position he fell to before the neutralization.
The rounds in Indonesia and Australia were the last in which he scored: he retired from the Thailand and Malaysia GPs before being unable to line up in the main race in Qatar. An accident with Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) in the Losail Sprint race resulted in a complicated shoulder injury and an early end to the season for him.
At the time, Oliveira spoke on social media about the incident: ‘First of all, I want to apologize to Aleix Espargaró for ending his race. Second to say that my weekend ends here with a fracture in the right scapula. Thirdly, I want to thank those who have been with me in these times. I feel encouraged and willing to continue building my dream here with my whole team’.
On several occasions, like the incidents in Portugal, Spain, and Qatar, or the situation in the Japanese GP, luck didn’t favor Oliveira – and one might even say he was affected by misfortune. The Portuguese rider also revealed difficulties in being competitive in qualifying, which in such a balanced field as the current one can make all the difference in the final result. Also the team had its problems and the bike itself – frozen in the 2022 specification – faced a drop in competitiveness compared to the competition in the second part of the season. It was a challenging year for the Portuguese rider, who will have lessons to learn and apply in the new chapter that will be Trackhouse Racing in 2024.
Miguel Oliveira’s 2023 season:
Portugal GP: 7th Sprint/DNF GP – 16th in the championship
Argentina GP: Did not participate due to injury – 19th in the championship
Americas GP: 8th Sprint/5th GP – 14th in the championship
Spain GP: 5th Sprint/DNF GP – 14th in the championship
France GP: Did not participate due to injury – 16th in the championship
Italy GP: 12th Sprint/DNF GP – 17th in the championship
Germany GP: 16th Sprint/10th GP – 16th in the championship
Dutch GP: 19th Sprint/DNF GP – 17th in the championship
Great Britain GP: 10th Sprint/4th GP – 15th in the championship
Austria GP: DNF Sprint and GP – 15th in the championship
Catalunya GP: 6th Sprint/5th GP – 14th in the championship
San Marino GP: 12th Sprint/6th GP – 13th in the championship
India GP: 12th Sprint/12th GP – 13th in the championship
Japan GP: 14th Sprint/18th GP – 13th in the championship
Indonesia GP: 10th Sprint/12th GP – 13th in the championship
Australia GP: 13th GP (no Sprint) – 14th in the championship
Thai GP: 17th Sprint/DNF GP – 15th in the championship
Malaysia GP: 18th Sprint/DNF GP – 16th in the championship
Qatar GP: DNF Sprint/Did not participate in GP – 16th in the championship
Valencia GP: Did not participate due to injury – 16th in the championship