Miguel Oliveira closed his debut WorldSBK season with a tenth-place finish in the final race at Jerez de la Frontera on Sunday, 18 October. He started 13th, completed the 20 laps 28.002 seconds behind the winner and scored six points. Nicolò Bulega (Ducati) took the win, his 52nd in the category, equalling Australian Troy Bayliss on the all-time list. Bulega finished the season with 32 wins from 36 races, 36 podiums and 726 points, and he finished every race in the top three. Iker Lecuona led at the start before Bulega retook the lead at turn six of the first lap, and rain fell during the final five laps. On the last lap Sam Lowes passed Alvaro Bautista at turn five for third, with Bautista fourth 14.928 seconds back and Yari Montella fifth. Oliveira finished 0.860 seconds behind Alberto Surra, who took ninth.
Oliveira said the problems began in qualifying, which left him further back on the grid. He retired from the first race on Saturday with a technical problem, then placed 11th in the Superpole race on Sunday morning, a race won by Bulega. Oliveira later said that not finishing the first race was frustrating, but that the team had improved on Sunday. His season started strongly at Portimão, the second round, where he took three podiums. An injury then interrupted his adaptation to the BMW M 1000 RR. He returned to the podium in race one at Balaton Park in Hungary before a crash in a Superpole race sidelined him for the rounds at Most in the Czech Republic and Aragón in Spain. He came back at Misano, Italy, but did not return to the podium before the season ended. At Estoril, in the penultimate round, he scored two fourth places and an eighth, and he was overtaken by Surra on the last lap of the Superpole race there. He finished the year with four podiums and 142 points.
Danilo Petrucci finished 17th in the standings with 61 points, and he took 20th in the second main race at Jerez. On Saturday evening the team and fans honoured him on the stage of the WorldSBK Paddock Show, a farewell marked by emotion. Petrucci reflected on his time with the team in a statement:
“It was a dream to compete for the biggest manufacturer in Europe. The result was not as good as everyone hoped, but everyone gave their best.”
Brad Binder, a South African who moves up from MotoGP, will replace Petrucci in 2027 and make his WorldSBK debut. Binder and Oliveira previously rode together for KTM in Moto3, Moto2 and MotoGP. Oliveira has five MotoGP race wins, while Binder won twice in the top class after claiming the 2016 Moto3 world title.
BMW finished third among manufacturers, a place secured by the points Oliveira scored in the second race at Jerez. Sven Blusch, head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, called the year an emotional rollercoaster, with podiums but serious injuries to Oliveira and Petrucci that affected the results. Technical director Christian Gonschor admitted the team had not reached its goal of winning races. Oliveira's contract, which BMW confirmed in September, runs until 2029. He looked ahead to 2027 with enthusiasm:
“I can't wait to get back on the bike and start working with the team again for next season.”
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Miguel Oliveira finished tenth in the final WorldSBK race at Jerez de la Frontera on Sunday, 18 October, closing his debut season 11th overall. Nicolò Bulega won the race and the title, while Brad Binder will replace Danilo Petrucci at BMW in 2027.
AI text based on reports by Notícias ao Minuto, Diário de Notícias, SAPO and other publishers. Published .