MotoGP, Oliveira: "We need to make the riders responsible so that they respect their opponents"

Luck has not been on Miguel Oliveira's side in this start to the championship. After a first accident suffered in the Portuguese GP, the 28-year-old from the RNF team experienced another setback at Jerez, where he was involved in the crash of Fabio Quartararo, suffering a dislocated left shoulder, a fractured humerus and ligament injury. An injury which kept him away from the track at Le Mans and which could force the Aprilia rider to also miss the next round at Mugello, scheduled for the weekend of 9-11 June.

“The injury I sustained to my shoulder doesn't have any certain recovery time, so I don't know when I'll be able to return. The priority is to get back to 100%. My recovery was expected in five or six weeks, but it could take longer,” Miguel explained to the Portuguese broadcaster “Radio Renascença”.

A delicate moment but one that is not enough to extinguish Oliveira's world championship ambitions, convinced that he can aspire to the title despite being 73 points behind the leader of the standings Francesco Bagnaia.

“The possibility of winning in MotoGP hasn't completely gone away. This year we have seen some unexpected riders manage to score a lot of points over the weekend, but it will be different when the situation stabilizes and there will be more predictability - said the Portuguese - It is still possible to become champion this year. It's hard to tell sitting here and injured. I still have a lot to do, but I believe I can”.

In a start to the season marked by incidents, the 28-year-old could not fail to comment on the behaviour of the riders on the track and on the Stewards Panel, repeatedly criticized due to its work.

“It is important to make the riders responsible so that they respect their opponents. We are struggling with motorcycles that weigh 200 kg and travel at 300 km/h, so you can't go straight and let go of the brakes. There must be responsibility - commented Oliveira - I trust that the Stewards penalize when these things happen, but there has certainly been a lack of consistency and uniformity in the sanctions".