Neil Hodgson feels one MotoGP rider has ‘checked out’ after what he saw at the Portuguese Grand Prix

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Gresini’s Alex Marquez scored his second Sprint win of 2025 at the Portuguese Grand Prix, but one MotoGP rider left Neil Hodgson disappointed at Portimao this Saturday.

Marquez added to his Sprint Race win from Silverstone back in May with a narrow victory at Portimao ahead of KTM ace Pedro Acosta. Just 0.120 seconds separated the Spaniards after 12 laps, with Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi playing a watching role from 0.637s behind in P3.

Saturday’s Sprint result at the Portuguese GP strengthens Marquez’s standing in his already-sealed second place in the 2025 riders’ championship. Bezzecchi also edged further clear of Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia in the fight for third, with the Aprilia pilot now 10 points in front.

Neil Hodgson feels Miguel Oliveira has ‘checked out’ ahead of his World Superbikes move

But far behind the fight at the front, as Marquez beat Acosta to win the Portimao Sprint, the abject display that Pramac ace Miguel Oliveira produced at his home race left Hodgson with the sense that the Portuguese star has “checked out” ahead of moving to World Superbikes.

READ MORE: Everything to know about Miguel Oliveira from net worth to wife

Yamaha will release Oliveira from his factory contract after the 2025 MotoGP season, having decided to retain Jack Miller at Pramac to partner with Toprak Razgatlioglu in his rookie year. BMW have hired Oliveira to replace Razgatlioglu in WSBK in 2026, alongside Danilo Petrucci.

Hodgson feels Oliveira’s mind is now already on his move to BMW after the 30-year-old only managed P16 in the Portimao Sprint. He took the chequered flag 15.289s adrift of Marquez, with only Yamaha rider Alex Rins and Aprilia stand-in Lorenzo Savadori finishing behind him.

Hodgson told TNT Sports 2 (08/11, 15:29): “No [it has not worked for him this weekend], not at all. Do you know what? I just feel like, with two races to go, he’s mentally checked out.

“Even though he’s come to his home race, it’s like, ‘I’m leaving this paddock [and] I’ve got an exciting new project [with BMW in World Superbikes]’. Because he has not been on the pace at all, and he’s never been slow around here.”

Miguel Oliveira is enduring a bleak end to his MotoGP career ahead of joining BMW

Yamaha used a release clause in Oliveira’s factory contract to allow them to re-sign Miller for the 2026 MotoGP season, to be Razgatlioglu’s teammate at Pramac. Oliveira had agreed to a two-year works deal to join Pramac in 2025 following his departure from Trackhouse Racing.

Oliveira was vulnerable to Yamaha’s axe, as the release clause in his contract was set on him being the lowest-scoring rider aboard the YZR-M1 at the summer break. His release initially appeared to free Oliveira to perform, with P9 in the Catalan Grand Prix and San Marino GP.

But, with two Grands Prix and a Sprint now remaining this season, Oliveira has 36 points for 20th in the riders’ standings. Miller and Rins are the second- and third-best scoring Yamaha riders in just P18 and P19, with 68 and 63 points respectively following the Portimao Sprint.