After a year in which he was in contention for the title, in a very clear and new way for him in MotoGP, in 2022, Aleix Espargaró has had a more difficult 2023 and recently the international press has even talked about a possible farewell to the category at the end of the coming season, which could mean a drastic change at 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 Spaniard, Aprilia’s «The Captain» as he has often been dubbed even by the manufacturer’s top officials, runs out at the end of this year, and at 34 – will be 35 this year – the #41 is the oldest rider on the track, and this could even be his last contract, something that the rider addressed in words to Marca last season:
– I think what I’ve done in MotoGP is good and if next year, at the beginning of the year, I’m fighting with the best, I’ll continue in 2025, if Aprilia wants me to. But if I’m not among the best, I won’t worry because my time will have come. If 2024 has to be my last year, it will be.
With Maverick Viñales also safe until the end of the season, it’s worth considering the direction the manufacturer might take: if betting on the continuity of A. Espargaró, its most experienced rider, might make sense, on the other hand, and from a project growth perspective, this idea might not be seen as ideal.
Viñales has already had enough time to fully adapt to the RS-GP and «drink» from A. Espargaró’s experience, with the Noale manufacturer having to consider what direction it wants to take and, in that respect, Miguel Oliveira seems the ideal candidate for the factory to team up with Viñales: he has a year’s experience with the bike, and in 2024 he will have a more stable structure, from the outset, and the latest version available of the bike, just like the factory riders.
The truth is that A. Espargaró doesn’t seem to be thinking too much about the issue of continuity, trusting that it’s up to him, as he recalled last season: ‘I think I’m one of the few, at my age, who can say that it’s going to depend on my level and my speed. It won’t be too stressful’.
Miguel Oliveira seems to be the logical choice and there is no doubt about his potential and ability to evolve a motorbike, as he did with the KTM RC16, even being the first to give the austrian giant wins in the category, and a crucial element in its growth.
A rider with five years’ experience in the highest category, with a very unique ability and sensitivity, a GP winner, as well as motivated for a season at the highest level, with the latest specification of the italian bike, and «hungry» for results after a 2023 to forget, marked by crashes – often caused by others – and injuries, seems to be the perfect recipe for the possible successor of Aleix Espargaró.
What do you think? Should the manufacturer bet on Miguel Oliveira, keep Aleix Espargaró, or should the portuguese rider «look» for another team/manufacturer?