Miguel Oliveira: GASGAS or Aprilia decision by Misano?

The long-running speculation over Miguel Oliveira’s MotoGP future looks to be nearing an end.

25 Aug 2022

Miguel Oliveira, KTM MotoGP Red Bull Ring, Austria 2022

Before leaving the Red Bull Ring on Sunday, the four-time premier-class race winner confirmed that all should become clear by next weekend’s Misano round.

“Yeah, I think so,” Oliveira confirmed. “Also because I asked [for] a week [to decide]…”

Misano is the home event for Aprilia, the manufacturer Oliveira has been hotly tipped to join via a new satellite project with the RNF team.

But KTM has made a late renewed effort to retain the Portuguese star, who is losing his factory Red Bull seat to Jack Miller next season, in the form of a three-year deal to join Pol Espargaro at the newly rebranded GASGAS Tech3 team.

“I don't think that Miguel will race with us in 2023 because he signed a letter of intent at Aprilia," KTM CEO Stefan Pierer told Speedweek.com.

But Pierer also confirmed: “We [have] offered him a new three-year contract so that he would have stability and build the GASGAS project together with Pol. The ball is in his hands."

"We'll get an answer by the end of this week,” added KTM board member Hubert Trunkenpolz, echoing the timeframe given by Oliveira on Sunday.

Oliveira previously declined the option of a Tech3 return but KTM hopes that repositioning the French team as the official GASGAS entry, combined with a long-term deal and access to the same factory RC16s as the Red Bull riders can trump the RNF Aprilia offer of year-old machines.

A three-year deal would also make Oliveira the first MotoGP rider to sign for the 2025 season.

Should Oliveira not accept the GASGAS offer, Moto2 race winner Augusto Fernandez is rumoured to be next in line, with current Tech3 rookie Remy Gardner admitting he faces an uncertain future.

Whatever happens, Gardner’s team-mate Raul Fernandez is set to take one of the RNF seats, after being released by KTM, although it is unclear who will get the other RS-GP if Oliveira now declines the offer.

Oliveira, who took KTM’s only victory so far this season in the wet Mandalika round, is currently tenth in the world championship with a best dry finish of fifth this year.