Miguel Oliveira and RNF Aprilia have cleared up a mistake that led a few fans to believe the team was disparaging their rider.
The questionable situation arises at the worst point in time given that Oliveira recently refuted his team’s statement that his contract contains no release provision in the wake of Honda’s desire to acquire him as their rider.
However, a conversation with RNF team boss Wilco Zeelenberg during the Indonesian MotoGP was misinterpreted.
The interview’s host, Simon Crafar, eventually clarified through social media: “Wilco on the grid standing next to Raul & promo lady /brollie girl. I ask him about ‘Raul and Miguel’.
“Between my kiwi accent and his decades in pitlane damaged hearing, he hears me ask about ‘Raul and the girl’.
“Confused he replies ‘I don’t know.. about the girl, but Raul…'”
Oliveira and RNF followed up with a statement from Zeelenberg on their social media pages: “During the pre-race interview with MotoGP, some people think that my comment about the ‘girl’ was about Miguel.
“But that is wrong. When you see the video of the interview you can see that I’m talking about the grid girl who was standing next to us.
“I would never talk negative about our riders. I hope this clears things up.”
The remark was accompanied by an image of Zeelenberg and Oliveira making fun of the incident.
The RNF Aprilia rider finished tenth overall in the Indonesian MotoGP, but his future is uncertain because Repsol Honda will be looking to replace Marc Marquez in 2024.
Oliveira’s contract for 2024 is in for debate, as is whether or not it allows him to make the switch to a factory team.
