The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team has announced Miguel Oliveira will join Brad Binder at the outfit for 2021 season.
As reported by previously media, KTM has settled on the 25-year-old Oliveira as the replacement for Pol Espargaro, who will leave the team after 3 seasons.
Binder and Oliveira were already under the same team ten years earlier, in 2011, the year they entered the world championship. The first race in the South African’s career was the 2011 Indianapolis Grand Prix, riding the Aprilia team.
The two riders separated in the first seasons of Moto3, but they ended up in 2015, when they were associated with Red Bull KTM Ajo.
Oliveira finished runner-up while Binder took sixth place. He became world champion a year later, which enabled him to make the jump in the Moto2 category from 2017.
Binder and Oliveira, meet once again in the Red Bull KTM Ajo structure. As in their collaboration in Moto3, the Oliveira had the advantage over him 3rd place in 2017 and 2nd place in 2018, while Binder finished 8th then 2nd, but the gap has gradually narrowed.
The Moto2 world runner-up, Oliveira reached the queen category in 2019, Binder was to join him a year later under same manufacturer but different teams. He was placed in the official KTM team, while Oliveira made his debut at KTM Tech3.
At the time, the decision to take Binder to replace Johann Zarco had angered Oliveira. He said the decision made him feel “not worthy” and made sense only to KTM.
“Having chosen a rookie, a pilot who is the same age as me, gives me a little bit of the feeling that I am not worthy enough to be there” Oliveira said.
KTM’s motorsport director Pit Beirer swiftly moved to clarify that Oliveira had been offered the works seat in a meeting back during the Misano race weekend and passed it up. It was only a matter of time, since he will wear the official team in 2021.
