The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team began a partnership with Aprilia in MotoGP this year. It was a season of ups and downs, not always yielding the expected results for Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernández – particularly, the Portuguese rider faced some bad luck and injuries that affected his adaptation. Razlan Razali, one of the high-ranking officials of the team, anticipates improvements for 2024.

When questioned by SPEEDWEEK.com about whether the expectations for 2023 were higher, Razali explained that it was an adaptation year despite the high ambitions at the start:

– Firstly, I have to say we were ambitious and confident. The season also started well, but sometimes we faced misfortune. People forget that this is our first year with Aprilia. At the same time, Aprilia is managing a satellite team for the first time. This means it’s entirely new territory for us; we need to gain experience with the RS-GP22, get used to working with Aprilia. We know that last year, Aprilia didn’t run entirely smoothly. Additionally, we have a mix of problems with the team, with Aprilia, and the riders.

Razali also highlighted encouraging signs for 2024: ‘If you look at lap times, we are much faster than the factory riders with this 2022 bike. So, it can only improve for next year in our second season with Aprilia’.

O conteúdo Razlan Razali encouraged for 2024: ‘It can only improve for next year’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team had an unfortunate round in Qatar, with Miguel Oliveira being the most “chastised” due to an injury that meant a premature end to the season for the Portuguese rider, something that Wilco Zeelenberg recalled.

The Team Manager of the Malaysian team regretted the Portuguese rider’s absence from Sunday’s race: ‘Of course, Miguel did not participate in the main race because of the accident yesterday, a big injury on the shoulder, while it seems that there are no major ligament problems, but basically his season has come to an unfortunate end’.

He believes, however, that Oliveira could be back at the Sepang tests – from 6 to 8 February: ‘Anyway, he will be fit for the Sepang test next year and in this moment, this is all that matters’.

O conteúdo Wilco Zeelenberg regretted Miguel Oliveira’s premature farewell to racing in 2023: ‘His season has come to an unfortunate end’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The 2023 MotoGP season hasn’t yet come to an end, but there’s already a penalty to be applied — specifically for Miguel Oliveira, due to the incident involving Aleix Espargaró (Aprilia) during the Sprint race at the Qatar GP.

The stewards determined that the Portuguese rider from the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team was at fault for an avoidable crash. As a result, he has been penalized with a Long Lap in the next race he competes in.

However, as Oliveira won’t be able to participate in the Valencia GP due to a fractured right scapula, he will have to serve the penalty in the first race he competes in 2024 — which will most likely be… in Qatar.

O conteúdo The first penalty of 2024 in MotoGP affects Miguel Oliveira aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Razlan Razali didn’t hide the fact he was very disappointed with how things have gone, once again, for the team, mostly given Miguel Oliveira’s injury that will put the rider out until the next season, even missing the next few tests.

The Founder and Team Principal CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team addressed the round as follow, with a special note towards Oliveira: ‘Well, words again cannot describe with how disappointed we are in the second last race of the year. Miguel is out with a broken scapula for the rest of the season which means he will not participate for the last race in Valencia and the Valencia test. […]. So, we go to Valencia next week and we wish Miguel a great recovery and we will see him next season’.

The malaysian also said that Lorenzo Savadori will take the vacancy left by the portuguese on the next round.

O conteúdo Razlan Razali devastated with last weekend and Miguel Oliveira’s absence: ‘We wish him a great recovery’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

With the fracture in his right scapula, Miguel Oliveira will only return to the MotoGP tracks next year, spending part of the winter break recovering from the injury. It’s an adversity that doesn’t worry the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP rider, who prefers to focus on being completely fit for the first test in 2024.

When asked by the press if it’s though to go trough the winter period dealing with another injury, the Portuguese rider replied:

– Well, it is what it is. I have to get well, and I’m not discouraged by the ending of the season like this. For sure I would be happy to finish the Valencia race in a good mood, do the test and get that feeling to go into the winter, but I’ve come into the winter with wins, being very well ranked – I finished fourth last year in the Valencia test. I think all those feelings ultimately go away once you reset, and you set new goals for the season, so I just want to be 100% for the winter test in Sepang and start from there.

O conteúdo ‘I’m not discouraged by the ending of the season like this’ – Miguel Oliveira aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Miguel Oliveira suffered a major setback at Losail that brought his season to a premature end, leaving his team without his contribution for the final round of the year. In light of the Portuguese rider’s long-term injury, the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team will be using Lorenzo Savadori in his place.

Razlan Razali confirmed this yesterday after the GP: ‘We also welcome Lorenzo Savadori, Aprilia test rider to replace Miguel in Valencia and we hope to score some points and maintain our team championship standings with eighth position’.

This will be the fourth GP of the current season in which the Italian will be at the controls of the RS-GP, as the rider was present at the French, Italian and Austrian GPs.

Savadori is currently 24th in the championship with nine points

O conteúdo Lorenzo Savadori in Miguel Oliveira’s place for the last GP of 2023 aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

The Qatar GP meant goodbye to MotoGP for Miguel Oliveira in 2023 after confirmation of the shoulder blade injury that will force him off the track indefinitely. The Portuguese RNF rider admitted that the season had not gone smoothly, with him going through many complicated situations.

The Portuguese rider began today by analysing the start of saturday’s race, without forgetting what happened to dictate Aleix Espargaro’s race ending: ‘It was a race incident. Unfortunately, a crash to the Aprilia team mate, which really disappoints me. I got a really good start yesterday, so I just figured, I could keep gaining positions’.

Afterwards Oliveira assumed that he had braked a little too late, but that this had probably happened to the #41 as well, and he regretted that both ended up out of the race and worse, injured: ‘But in turn six, I brake a little too late, Aleix probably braked a little bit too much. Once I saw I was probably going to hit him, I just put up the bike straight to avoid him, but I couldn’t miss his rear wheel. Unfortunately, we crashed together, which is disappointing. It was a misjudgment, which ended up with both of us on the ground and both of us injured’.

This was followed by a few words about the injury that will force him out for a few months, although he still doesn’t know how deep it is: ‘I have a fractured scapula and don’t really know the extent of the injury yet. So once I get home I will get a better look into it and see what’s really ahead of me in terms of recovery. It looks like I will not need surgery, but it takes a bit of time. I will unfortunately miss the rest of the season, so this was my final lap’.

And ended with a rant: ‘I had a little bit of everything this season, it was not what I was expecting, but I think this could also build up some more character for next season. I’m glad I lived through everything this season, so hopefully next year is going to be better’.

O conteúdo Miguel Oliveira regretted ‘race incident’ at Losail and left a «rant»: ‘I had a little bit of everything this season, it was not what I was expecting’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Raúl Fernandez finished the Qatar GP in 17th position. After surprising on Friday with 1st place in free practice and qualifying in 9th position, the CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team rider was unable to be competitive in Sunday’s race and ended up not scoring a single point.

In his debrief, Raúl Fernández revealed his disappointment after showing so much potential over the weekend.

– ‘ Honestly, I expected a lot more. I believe 100% that Michelin did the right thing with the tire pressure rule, but it’s difficult for us to balance the bike like that. On lap 3 or 4 I couldn’t lean the bike or brake. When the tires get like that we’re done and we can’t keep up with the pace of the other riders. We need a solution to this, we’re in MotoGP and we don’t need to have this kind of problem, because we came here and gave it our all and we had the potential to do much better. I’ve always said that Aprilia has the potential and our team has everything to be at the top of the table. I’ve always had a good pace this weekend, but today’s race was a disaster.

O conteúdo ‘I’ve always had a good pace this weekend, but today’s race was a disaster’ – Raúl Fernandez aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

Miguel Oliveira faced numerous challenges throughout the 2023 MotoGP season, especially during this final phase of the year. Results and performances fell well below expectations, he experienced retirements, and in yesterday’s Qatar GP Sprint race, he sustained another injury, prematurely ending his season.

Massimo Rivola, CEO of Aprilia Racing, told Sky Italia MotoGP that several factors contribute to the Portuguese rider’s difficult period:

– I think there was a mix of things ranging from his personal life, the birth of his son, Pedro, to market rumors and his physical condition. It’s a combination of factors that can make you lose some confidence, costing you half a second with the same bike, resulting in losing three to four rows on the grid.

O conteúdo Massimo Rivola on Miguel Oliveira’s struggles: ‘It’s a combination of things’ aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.

With the fracture in his right scapula that he suffered yesterday at Losail, Miguel Oliveira saw his MotoGP season come to a premature end. It was a year that started badly, with the injury in the main race of the Portuguese GP, and ended poorly, with few positive moments and many difficulties.

This Sunday, the Portuguese rider from CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP said that almost everything happened to him in 2023, but he believes that adversities can strengthen him and now hopes for better days in the coming year:

– It was miserable. Finally, I finished eight races, and it’s not what I expected for sure. I had a little bit of everything this season. Bad luck, clashes with other riders, incidents, technical problems with the bike. I had a little bit of bad fortune, but I think it could also build up some character for next season, and I’m glad that I lived everything this season so that hopefully next one will be better.

O conteúdo ‘It was miserable; I had a little bit of everything this season’ – Miguel Oliveira aparece primeiro em Motorcycle Sports.