Miguel Oliveira responds to Aprilia MotoGP rumour

While team-mate Jack Miller looks set to be confirmed alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu at Pramac Yamaha for 2026, Miguel Oliveira has been linked with a return to Aprilia in a test rider role.

A five-time MotoGP race winner for KTM, the Portuguese rider spent two seasons on the RS-GP with RNF/Trackhouse, claiming a best result of fourth place, before joining Yamaha this season.

Although several 2026 seats are still to be officially announced, deals for the likes of Miller, Luca Marini, Franco Morbidelli and Diogo Moreira are considered a formality, while Oliveira’s future remains unclear.

Sky Italia reported over the Balaton Park weekend that Oliveira ‘could return to Aprilia as a test rider to partner Lorenzo Savadori’.

Asked if he would be interested in such a move, Oliveira - who claimed his best finish of a difficult season with 12th in Hungary - replied: “Not really. I want to race! But of course I'm open to anything.”

Oliveira added that while the role of a test rider will be crucial as factories prepare for the switch to new 850cc engines in 2027, the benefit of having MotoGP wild-cards (on the current 1000cc bikes) will reduce.

“You don't really know what could be a development plan and a wild-card plan for next season, also because what's the sense of wild-carding when the bikes are going to be different for [2027]?” Oliveira said.

“So I don't know. It’s a little bit shooting in the dark, but we'll see. In the next week, we could have some news and we'll move on from there.”

Miller’s expected contract will see him continue at Pramac with Razgatlioglu, while Fabio Quartararo and Alex Rins remain in the factory Monster Yamaha line-up.

After missing out on Diogo Moreira to Honda, Yamaha was also thought to be evaluating Moto2 title leader Manuel Gonzalez for Pramac, but the Spaniard now looks set to remain in the intermediate class for another year.