Miguel Oliveira suffered his sixth retirement of the MotoGP season this Sunday. In the Thai GP, the rider was forced to withdraw after the seventh lap due to technical problems with the Aprilia when he was last.
This is the sixth time that the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team rider has not completed a race this year. The first occasion was right at the Portuguese GP, when he was hit by Marc Márquez (Repsol Honda) at the start.
Then, in Spain, there was another premature withdrawal. The next episode was in Italy, with the retirement being repeated in the Netherlands, Austria, and now Thailand.
In Japan, Oliveira also did not finish the race as he returned to the pits just before the red flag, but the classification order dictated that he would be classified in 18th – the position he held before going to the garage.
Twice (2012 and 2021), he had recorded five races not finished. Now, he has surpassed that mark. In addition, having failed to finish two of the 17 rounds so far, “Falcão” has a dropout rate above 35 percent, only surpassed by the over 36 percent recorded in 2011 (four retirements in 11 races).
Furthermore, this has been a complicated season for Oliveira from the start, with the injury following the accident in Portimão. A new injury due to an accident in the Spanish GP meant that he missed two of the initial five rounds, all this in the midst of adapting to a new team (RNF MotoGP) and a new bike (Aprilia RS-GP).
Despite strong results such as fourth place in Great Britain and fifth place in Catalonia, the process of acclimatization and gaining confidence may have been affected, consequently influencing performances and results. Three Grand Prixs remain until the end, with the winter break providing precious time for Oliveira to recover and prepare for 2024.
Miguel Oliveira’s retirements per season (percentages rounded up):
2011 (125cc): 4 abandonos en 11 carreras (36,4%)
2012 (Moto3): 5 abandonos en 17 carreras (29,4%)
2013 (Moto3): 1 abandono en 17 carreras (5,9%)
2014 (Moto3): 3 abandonos en 18 carreras (16,6%)
2015 (Moto3): 1 abandono en 18 carreras (5,6%)
2016 (Moto2): 4 abandonos en 14 carreras (28,6%)
2017 (Moto2): 2 abandonos en 18 carreras (11,1%)
2018 (Moto2): 0 abandonos en 19 carreras (0%)
2019 (MotoGP): 1 abandono en 16 carreras (6,25%)
2020 (MotoGP): 3 abandonos en 14 carreras (21,4%)
2021 (MotoGP): 5 abandonos en 18 carreras (27,8%)
2022 (MotoGP): 2 abandonos en 20 carreras (10%)
2023 (MotoGP): 6 abandonos en 17 carreras (35,2%)*
* Temporada en curso
