Miguel Oliveira and Maverick Vinales respond to rumours about Honda contact to replace Marc Marquez
Reports earlier this week suggested Oliveira is a target to take over the factory RC213V abandoned by Marquez, who has negotiated an early exi🔴t from his Honda contract.
“There is nothing on the table yet, there is just an approach. But nothing concrete,” Oliveira said of the Repsol Honda rumours at Mandalika on T🐓hursday.
A fi♈ve-time MotoGP winner for KTM, Oliveira is currently in the first year of a two-year deal with Aprilia, which sees him placed at the satellite RNF team.
Commenting on t𒀰he Honda rumours, Oliveira appeared to reference not only Marquez’s early exit but Pol Espargaro making way for Pedro Acosta at KTM to underline that "anything is possible."
“I think this season we have se꧑en a lot of unprecedented things. We've seen riders put at home with contracts. I've seen riders breaking contracts and going to other places. So anything is possible,” said the Portuguese.
“It's true that it's a pleasure to be considered by a﷽nother manufacturer... as big as Honda, especially when there's a factory seat to offer. T🅷hat’s it.”
There are contrasting opinions on whether Repsol approached Oliveira or the other way around, but Oliveira insis🔯ted: “I didn't have it in my mind to change.💃”
Alex Rins was able to usജe an exit clause from his two-year HRC contract to leave the satellite LCR for a factory Monster Yam⭕aha seat next year.
Aprilia Racing Boss Massim Rivola and RNFও boss Razlan Razali both insist that’s not the case for Oliveira.
“Well, it's true that Aprilia have a righ꧋t to offer me a factory [team] seat for ‘25 and ‘26. Not 24,” Oliveira said.
Is Vinales in the frame to replace Marquez?
Current factory Aprilia rider Maverick Vinales is an♏other name to have been linked with the Repsol Hon🐲da vacancy alongside Joan Mir.
"At this moment I don't hear nothing, but it's always good to be open, 💦to listen and to understand," Vinales said. "My 𒐪[commitment] right now is 100% with Aprilia."
Meanwhile Oliveira, who took victory in the wet at Mandalika and Buriram last season, also explained exactly why h൲e was forced to retire from the soaking Motegi race.
“The thing is we didn't close completely the ventilations of the helmet and also♏ I didn't have the stickers on it to pr🌳event the water coming in,” he said.
“So one of the ventilations that is in the front of the helmet was spraying water into the inside. I saw everything ♎twice, basically. Every image was double, so it's impossible to ride aไnd I was already 3 laps fighting with it like that.
“Looking [back] at it now, it's stupid [to have stopped just before t𝓡he race was halted]. I could have tried to stay on the track for h🎉alf a lap. But I couldn't predict it [would be stopped].”
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the 𒀰Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
