Miguel Oliveira “would love” to see BMW in MotoGP
BMW has signed two former MotoGP race winners for its 2026 WorldSBK project, but will the German manufacturer ever join the premier class?
Miguel Oliveira has made no secret of the fact that he wants to continue his MotoGP career, in some form, alongside his 2026 World Superbike commitments for BMW.
While a MotoGP test riding role for Aprilia remains under discussion, Oliveira would also be ideally placed should BMW commit to a MotoGP project.
BMW MotoGP rumours have been floating for more than a decade, most recently after the exit of Suzuki in 2022, then again when the premier class announced a radical change in technical rules for 2027.
But with the first 850cc prototypes from KTM and Honda already on track, it’s probably too late for the German brand to start a brand-new MotoGP project in time for 2027.
What is known is that BMW will target a third WorldSBK title in a row this season, following Toprak Razgatlioglu’s double glory, with an all-new rider line-up of MotoGP race winners Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci.
During the closing rounds of his premier-class career, Oliveira was quizzed on whether he thinks BMW could be planning a MotoGP move.
“I mean, I'm not the person to talk about that for sure and [I don’t know] their plans for the future,” he said.
“I know they are committed to WorldSBK and that's what they want to do for next season. From '27 onwards, I would believe that would also be the case.”
"A natural step"
However, given BMW’s recent success in WorldSBK, Oliveira also described MotoGP as a ‘natural step’.
“They have been in the [WorldSBK] championship for over a decade now. So they are pretty much established there, and they are one of the strongest manufacturers,” continued Oliveira, who later made his BMW debut in a test at Jerez (pictured).
“So you would think that would be a natural step to come up, but it depends on a lot of things, which I'm not really the person to talk about.
“But I would love to see them [in MotoGP], for sure.”
MotoGP will also switch to Pirelli tyres in 2027, which Oliveira will gain familiarity with in WorldSBK this year.
Razgatlioglu meanwhile will spend his debut MotoGP season on Michelin rubber at Pramac Yamaha.
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Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.