RNF Racing has announced an all-new line-up for the 2023 MotoGP season, with Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez joining the Aprilia satellite squad.
he Razlan Razali-run outfit, which was rebranded as RNF Racing in 2022 following Petronas SRT's exit at the end of last year, will sever ties with Yamaha at the conclusion of the current campaign.
RNF will field year-old Aprilia machinery next year, with outgoing KTM riders Oliveira and his Tech3 counterpart Fernandez refreshing the team’s line-up for 2023 having signed two-year deals.
Oliveira has long been linked to RNF having turned down a move back to Tech3 by KTM, while rookie Fernandez negotiated an exit from his deal with the Austrian marque recently to join RNF.
Fernandez originally wanted to join RNF's predecessor Petronas SRT for his rookie campaign until KTM locked him into a contract to race for Tech3.
RNF's current line-up will depart MotoGP at the end of the season, with Andrea Dovizioso retiring at the end of this weekend's San Marino Grand Prix, while Darryn Binder looks set to move to Moto2, having stepped up to the premier class directly from Moto3.
RNF boss Razali says signing its two new riders was “not a simple process”, but both the team and Aprilia “believe in the talent of both riders”.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Miguel Oliveira and Raúl Fernandez to the WithU RNF MotoGP Team from 2023,” Razali said.
“It has not been a simple process, but together with Aprilia we are very clear on the riders that we wanted.
“They are both young riders with a good combination of experience coming from Miguel and Raul who I’m personally a fan of since he shocked the Moto2 category last year to become Vice Champion. To finally secure him, is fantastic.
“Both, Aprilia and we believe in the talent of both riders, so we can’t wait for them to ride for us next season!"
Aprilia has confirmed KTM has agreed to let both Oliveira and Fernandez test the RS-GP at the end of the 2022 season.
