Miguel Oliveira is one of the riders who has entered the exclusive group of MotoGP race winners – with more than one victory in his career since his debut in 2019. Despite the last season being challenging and inconsistent, the Trackhouse Racing rider remains a desirable target, while being fully focused on the current project.
In an interview with Sport TV, the Almada-born rider stated: ‘Starting a new project cycle, it’s something that makes me very happy to be at Aprilia and to see the confidence they have in me and all the effort they made to produce parts and a completely new factory bike for me, it makes me very confident. At the moment, what I am focused on is to repay all that confidence to Aprilia with results’.
The contracts of 18 MotoGP riders end at the end of 2024, and Oliveira ensured that he is not only open to listening to any constructor but also believes that his abilities are recognized: ‘Regarding the future, it is open for KTM, but also for all other constructors. I have naturally been approached by almost all of them, so they know my value, and I know that I can achieve a good result if I have all the material at my disposal. That’s what I’m going to try to do, I’ll let things happen naturally. I think that’s the best way to do it. Fortunately, and also because of my professional conduct, I have always left very good relationships with all the teams I have worked with, and a good impression, so I have no doubts that I’m a rider who is appreciated by any team in the paddock’.
Despite not hiding the desire to be in a factory team, #88 emphasized that he is pleased and encouraged by the Trackhouse Racing project: ‘It is very tempting to be in a factory team for all reasons, in terms of image, being very close to the development and the new parts that come from the bike. I think that in this format that Aprilia is creating with Trackhouse, it is very interesting. So, I want to see how things will roll out, but I am very optimistic about this project. So, it’s just letting things happen naturally, understanding what the potential of this team is, and if I will have better conditions and weapons in a factory team, that’s what we’ll have to find out this season, but for now, my focus is really on the results, on being physically well, and having all the material available to do so’.