MotoGP Sachsenring: Oliveira: KTM will always have a special place in my heart

Miguel Oliveira all but bids farewell to KTM following the news that Jack Miller will take over his factory seat in 2023.
Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP, 3 June
Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP, 3 June

Oliveira has been a KTM rider since joining the pr🌳emier-class in 2019, initially at Tech3, where he made history for the French team with wins in Austria and Portimao the following season.

Such success saw Oliveir💞a promoted to the factory Red Bull team for🦩 2021, where he has added two more victories.

However, in Oliveira’s own words, his and KTM’s 🎀results have been far too ‘spik🐻y’.

Only two o♔ther podium finishes and eleven non-scores since joining the official team means Oliveira was left 14th in last year’s world championship and is currently eleventh in the present standings, five places behind team-mate Brad Binder.

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With Binder already signed until the end of 2024, Miller’s arrival could only be at the expense of Oliveira, whom KTM hoped would con🀅sider a return to Tech3.

But the 27-year-old soon ruled out that prospect and instead looks s♍et to start a new chapter in his MotoGP career with another manufacturer.

“It’s sti𝓰ll to be completely decided. I’ve not signed with any manufacturer yet. But I believe my future will still of course be here on the MotoGP grid,” Oliveira told MotoGP.com.

But his subsequent🐠 words made clear he isn't likel🐻y to be in orange.

“I feel very grateful to have been with KTM for many years, I 🔜wish Jack the best of luck and I think that KTM will always have a special place in my heart,” Oliveira said.

“I truly want the best for the projecꦚt and even though, if our ways will split at the end of the season, I still want to do the best I can for the team and mꦏyself and leave KTM with hopefully a few more podiums or wins.”

Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP race, 5 June
Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP race, 5 June

'KTM made every effort to keep me; in Tech3'

On turning down the Tech3 option, Oliveira added: “I also need to make clear that KTM made absol𒁏utely every effort they could to keep me; in Tech3. But it’s something that I expressed I didn’t wanജt.

“It’s the factory spot where I felt I could h♌ave the biggest contribution to the team. It’s also a spot I’ve earned 🌜by results and by showing that actually I can do the job.”

“I really wanted to be involved in this project for a few more years and take the🔜 bike to ꦑanother level, because there is so much potential that was not reached yet.

“But being out like this, it means that new opportunities open for m൩e and it was personally quite nice to sit down with other manufacturers and really listen to their perspective, because I’ve never heard their opinion about me. It was quit🍒e nice.”

Heading the ꦜrumoured list of Oliveira’s 2023 options is a move to Gresini Ducati, with Enea Bastianini among those in contention for Miller’s vacant factory Ducati ride.

The rumours were fuelled fu🥂rther when Oliveira and his father, who is also his manager, were seen meeting with the Gresini team in Catalunya.

“Yeah, I was lost,”🥂 he joked earlier on Tℱhursday, when asked about being spotted.

“But I mean people are not forbidden to talk and this is normaﷺl and of course we always try to do it in maximum secrecy, but sometimes it's just not possible.”

Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP, 3 June
Miguel Oliveira, Catalunya MotoGP, 3 June

After riding Suter Honda and then Mahindra machin𝄹ery to podium success in Moto3, Oliveira in 2015, taking six wiꦡns and finishing second in the world championship (to Danny Kent).

Aside from a debut Moto2 season at Leopard in 𝔉2016, Oliveira has been a KTM rider ever since.

Rookies Remy Gardner and Raul Fernandez currently compete for Tech3, but neither curren🧔tly has a deal in place for 2023 and KTM’s Tech3 proposal to Oliveira, although turned down, indicates that at least one of them is set to leave.

Fernandez has been among the names linked with RNF Aprilia, having held discussions with Razlan Razali’s team (currently with Yamaha) last season be🍸fore KTM took up its option on the young Spaniard.

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