The soap opera about Miguel Oliveira’s future in the World Speed Championship continues to be talked about in the MotoGP paddock and now has a new episode. Stéphane Pierer, chief executive of Pierer Mobility, the group that owns KTM, and chairman of the executive board of KTM AG, was “happy” with the fact that the Portuguese had committed to acquiring Aprilia, but has now told Speedweek magazine. that Oliveira still had hope of staying with the team as he was offered a three-year contract with GASGAS. Pierer explains that a new offer has been made and that “the ball is in Miguel’s hands”. The Portuguese refused to join Tech3, believing it would be a step back, but the KTM manager says Miguel and his father didn’t realize the team, which would be called GASGAS, “would be a second production team.” “I don’t think Miguel will be racing with us in 2023 because he signed a letter of intent with Aprilia,” Stéphane Pierer began. “We now assure him that Tech3 will be a true second factory team in the future “He didn’t know about it when we asked him to move to Tech3 in May. If he knew then how the team would be structured in the future he might have. He got a little offended when we signed Jack Miller. But that’s the way it is. “Now let’s wait and see what Miguel says. If he wants, there is a place in Tech3. The ball is now in his hands, we have made a new offer.”
KTM has signed a three-year contract and has already explained everything to the driver’s father and manager Paulo Oliveira. “We explained to Paulo in a very nice and constructive conversation that Hervé Pontcharal’s GASGAS will be our second factory team,” KTM CEO Hubert Trunkenpolz told Speedweek. “It could have been a misunderstanding or he didn’t want to listen. As far as we know, Miguel Oliveira has yet to sign a definitive contract with anyone. We also agreed that even if the separation is effective, we will remain friends. Now father and son must decide in the coming days. The answer will be by the end of this week.
KTM has Jack Miller and Brad Binder on the “mother team” and Paul Espargaro is insured at GASGAS. If Miguel Oliveira does not accept the invitation to work with Poncharal again, his place should be taken by Augusto Fernandez, who is a candidate for the Moto2 World Championship this year.
“Now it’s Miguel’s turn. We offered him a three year contract so he could have stability and build the GASGAS project with Paul. [Espargaró]. The ball is in his hands,” explains Stefan Pierer.
