Yamaha Rider’s Nightmare MotoGP Season Continues

Miguel Oliveira has been ruled out of this weekend’s Spanish MotoGP at Jerez as official Yamaha test rider Augusto Fernandez will step-in for the Portuguese rider once again.

The injury, which has been described as ‘rare’, has already led to Oliveira missing the American Grand Prix at COTA (Circuit of the Americas) and the Qatar MotoGP last time out.

The Pramac Yamaha rider will again join Jorge Martin on the sidelines, following his sternoclavicular dislocation which he suffered in a Sprint race collision with rookie Fermín Aldeguer in Argentina.

During a visit to the Qatar Grand Prix last time out Oliveira said: “It’s a very rare injury, this luxation of the sternum and the clavicle.

“I was caught by surprise because I was just expecting to break my collarbone, and in three weeks I would be fine. But it was much more tricky than that, so we need to take it step by step.”

Oliveira made the switch from Aprilia machinery to the Yamaha M1 at the end of 2024, and in doing so joined Jack Miller in an all-new line-up for the 2024 world championship-winning team.

But Oliveira’s difficult start to 2025 means Fernandez will now be in action for the third consecutive round.

The five-time MotoGP race winner is gradually making improvements with his physical condition, but a return date is still yet to be confirmed.

A statement from Pramac Racing said: “Following further medical evaluation of his left shoulder - injured during the Sprint Race in Argentina and diagnosed as a sternoclavicular dislocation - doctors have determined that, despite very positive signs of progress, Oliveira is not yet fit to compete.”

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