After a year in which he was in the fight for the title, in a very clear and new way for him in MotoGP, in 2022, Aleix Espargaró had a more difficult 2023 and recently the international press even spoke about a possible farewell to the category at the end of the upcoming season, which could mean a drastic change in Aprilia but… is it really like that, or is it time to put the future in the hands of another rider like Maverick Viñales and Miguel Oliveira?
The truth is that the contract of the Spanish rider, the “Captain” of Aprilia as he has often been called even by the company’s top executives, ends at the end of this year, and at 34, #41 is the oldest on the track, with this possibly being his last contract, something that the rider already addressed in words to Marca last season:
– I think what I have done in MotoGP is good and if next year, at the beginning of the year, I am fighting with the best, I will continue in 2025, if Aprilia wants it. But if I am not among the best, I will not worry because my time will have come. If 2024 has to be the last year, it will be.
With Maverick Viñales also secured until the end of the season, it is worth considering the direction the manufacturer can take: if they choose to continue with A. Espargaró, their most experienced rider, it may make sense, on the other hand, from a project growth perspective, that idea may not be seen as ideal.
Viñales has had enough time to fully adapt to the RS-GP and learn from A. Espargaró’s experience, with the Noale manufacturer having to consider which direction they want to take and, in that aspect, Miguel Oliveira seems like the ideal candidate for the factory to team up with Viñales: he has a year of experience with the bike, and in 2024 he will have a more stable structure, presumably, and the latest version available for the Portuguese rider.
The truth is that A. Espargaró doesn’t seem to be very thoughtful about the continuity issue, trusting that it depends only on himself, as he recalled during the last season: ‘I think I’m one of the few, at my age, who can say that it will depend on my level and my speed. It won’t be very stressful.’
Miguel Oliveira seems to be the logical choice and there are no doubts about his potential and ability to develop a motorcycle, as he did with the KTM RC16, being the rider with the most victories so far with the Austrian manufacturer in the category, and a crucial element in its growth.
A rider with already five years of experience in the highest category, with a very peculiar capacity and sensitivity, winner of GPs, motivated for a great season, with the latest specification of the Italian motorcycle, and “hungry” for results to forget a 2023 marked by falls – often caused by others – and injuries, seems to be the perfect recipe for succeeding Aleix Espargaró.
And you, what do you think? Should the manufacturer bet on Miguel Oliveira, keep Aleix Espargaró, or should the Portuguese “look for” another team/manufacturer?
