Yamaha has sealed the third of its four contracts, taking Miguel Oliveira to integrate its lineup, which already includes Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins. The Portuguese rider arrives in the Pramac team after a two-year stint in Aprilia in which he did not perform as expected and has agreed to another two-year deal, an operation that smacks of a relaunch.
Unfulfilled expectations
Oliveira is 29 years old and finds the best available seat: his presence in Aprilia must no longer have been considered strategic, or the negotiations have simply stalled for an economic question. After all, Noale has invested a lot in Martin and Bezzecchi and probably wasn’t willing to do crazy things to keep the 29-year-old Portuguese, while in Yamaha it is possible that they have decided to invest a little more. Miguel has long been one of Massimo Rivola’s most esteemed riders, but it is also true that in two years marred by injuries and a poor understanding with the bike, Oliveira has never achieved great results and the second place in the Sachsenring Sprint was the only podium of the period spent in Veneto.
Fast yes, champion never
Oliveira, who won his first MotoGP race in Austria four years ago in August, becoming the first Portuguese rider to win in the premier class, is a fast rider, very fast in the wet and who now also has a good amount of experience, after six seasons in the top class.
Among the active riders who do not race with a Desmosedici, he is also one of the most successful, thanks to the 2 successes obtained in his second season in the top class. Overall, he has collected 5 victories in 4 seasons at Mattighofen, even better than riders like Brad Binder, who still races in the factory team. Despite the 17 victories obtained since he has been in the world championship, Oliveira has never graduated champion in one of the various categories, earning the label of a fast, but not a winning rider.
The missing piece
Yamaha now only has to fill the seat of Pramac’s second M1. Jack Miller’s name remains on the list, but it is possible that the Iwata bosses want to refresh their rider roster with a promising rookie, since they already have plenty of experience at home. Garcia, Lopez, Roberts and Arbolino are some of the names circulating, even if there does not seem to be any urgency to reach a conclusion in the short term.
