Miguel Oliveira’s 2023 season: a lot of bad luck and lack of fortune in a tough year

Miguel Oliveira had one of his most modest seasons since joining MotoGP in 2019 this year. He finished the championship in 16th, did not step on the podium as consistently as at least once per season since 2020, and scored 76 points.

The switch from KTM to the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team marked a new chapter in #88’s career – now at the helm of an Aprilia. Expectations were high, following the competitiveness of the RS-GP in 2022. The year started with an encouraging performance in the Sprint race of the Portuguese GP, but in the main race, he was hit by Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda). The Spaniard was penalized and admitted fault, but Oliveira injured his leg and had to miss the Argentine GP.

He returned in Austin with an encouraging fifth place – a result he repeated in the Sprint race of the Spanish GP. However, in the main race in Jerez, another setback. Oliveira was hit by Fabio Quartararo (Monster Energy Yamaha) and dislocated a shoulder, having to miss the French GP once again.

In Italy, Oliveira suffered another retirement, before a top ten in Germany and not finishing the main race in Assen. In Silverstone, the return after the summer break had an encouraging fourth place after an impressive recovery. ‘Of course, when you finish so close to the podium and being in third place a few times in the final part of the race, it’s a shame,’ admitted the rider in a press release after the race.

However, the inconsistency continued and did not reach the end of the main race in Austria. In Catalonia, in a round where Aprilia showed a strong performance, Oliveira did not waste the opportunity: he finished fifth after starting from third in his best qualifying of the year. He began his best sequence of the season – the only one in which he scored three times in a row to enter the Asian tour in 13th place – the best position he held in the championship. Next was the Japanese GP. The rider from Almada was fighting for the podium in a wet race when he had to enter the pits due to a problem with his helmet. This happened just before a red flag, and instead of staying in the top five he was in, he ended up in 18th place: he was considered classified, but in the position he fell to before the neutralization.The rounds in Indonesia and Australia were the last ones in which he scored: he abandoned the GPs of Thailand and Malaysia, before not being able to start 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.
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, I want to say that my weekend ends here with a fracture in my right scapula. Third, I want to thank those who have been with me during these times. I feel encouraged and eager to continue building my dream here with my entire team‘.

On many occasions, like in the incidents in Portugal, Spain, and Qatar or in the situation of the Japanese GP, luck did not accompany Oliveira – it could even be said that he was affected by bad luck. The Portuguese 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. RNF was also facing difficulties and the bike itself – frozen in the 2022 specification – experienced a drop in competitiveness compared to the competition in the second half of the season. It was a challenging year for the Portuguese rider, who will have lessons to learn and apply now in the new chapter that will be Trackhouse Racing in 2024.

Miguel Oliveira’s 2023 season:

Portuguese GP: 7th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 16th in the championship
Argentinian GP: Did not participate due to injury – 19th in the championship
Americas GP: 8th Sprint/5th GP – 14th in the championship
Spanish GP: 5th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 14th in the championship
French GP: Did not participate due to injury – 16th in the championship
Italian GP: 12th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 17th in the championship
German GP: 16th Sprint/10th GP – 16th in the championship
Dutch GP: 19th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 17th in the championship
British GP: 10th Sprint/4th GP – 15th in the championship
Austrian GP: Retirement in the Sprint and GP – 15th in the championship
Catalan GP: 6th Sprint/5th GP – 14th in the championship
San Marino GP: 12th Sprint/6th GP – 13th in the championship
Indian GP: 12th Sprint/12th GP – 13th in the championship
Japanese GP: 14th Sprint/18th GP – 13th in the championship
Indonesian GP: 10th Sprint/12th GP – 13th in the championship
Australian GP: 13th GP (no Sprint) – 14th in the championship
Thai GP: 17th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 15th in the championship
Malaysian GP: 18th Sprint/Retirement in the GP – 16th in the championship
Qatari GP: Retirement in the Sprint race/Did not participate in the GP race – 16th in the championship
Valencia GP: Did not participate due to injury – 16th in the championship