Miguel Oliveira, set to miss the remainder of the 2023 MotoGP season due to injury, will now have a long lap penalty to serve on his return.
The Portuguese clipped fellow Aprilia rider Aleix Espargaro on the opening lap of the Saturday Sprint race, sending them both – plus Ducati Enea Bastianini – to the ground while Franco Morbidelli was forced wide.
Oliveira came off the worst suffering a broken right shoulder blade. Espargaro sustained a ‘a small fracture at the top of the left fibula’ but was back on track for warm-up, while Bastianini escaped injury.
The FIM Stewards, having said the incident was “still under investigation” on Saturday night, have now announced their verdict.
RNF rider Oliveira, himself the innocent victim of two early race incidents this year, has been given a Long Lap Penalty for his next Grand Prix race due to ‘riding in an irresponsible manner causing a crash, involving riders #41 and #23’.
Since Oliveira is unlikely to return to a MotoGP bike until the 2024 Sepang test, he would therefore serve his long lap in the opening round of next season, back at Qatar, on March 10.
Keyword: Injured Miguel Oliveira penalised for Qatar MotoGP Sprint incident