MotoGP Portugal GP
RNF unveils new-look for first MotoGP season with Aprilia
RNF Racing has become the final MotoGP team to unveil its 2023 livery, revealing its new look on Monday ahead of its first season as an Aprilia satellite team.
Lewis Duncan
Edited: Mar 22, 2023, 3:50 AM
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The Razlan Razali-owned squad was formed out of the Petronas Sepang Racing Team, which pulled out of MotoGP at the end of the 2021 season.
RNF continued on as a Yamaha customer for 2022, but the outfit that took Franco Morbidelli to the runner-up spot in the 2020 championship struggled for form and was second-to-last in the teams’ standings with a paltry 37 points.
After it was unable to secure a multi-year extension with Yamaha, RNF elected to sign a two-year deal with Aprilia to become the marque’s first satellite MotoGP team since its comeback in 2015.
As well as running with a new manufacturer, RNF gained a new majority shareholder in crypto firm CryptoDATA.
"I'm thrilled to finally start the new season with a revamped spirit and our bold new colours that reflect the new CryptoDATA RNF MotoGP Team," Razali said.
"As a team, we're dedicated to making changes and going out of the box from the norm of the sport.
"We've partnered with CryptoDATA to bring cutting-edge technology to the sport and help us stay at the forefront of innovation.
"But beyond our partnership, we're focused on bringing our own unique approach to racing, with a team culture that emphasizes excellence, determination, passion and the desire to be different."
RNF has a refreshed rider line-up for 2023 as it welcomes KTM outcasts Miguel Oliveira and Raul Fernandez, after Darryn Binder sought refuge in Moto2 and Andrea Dovizioso retired following last year’s San Marino GP.
Raúl Fernández, Miguel Oliveira, RNF Racing
Photo by: RNF Racing
Team boss Razali told Motorsport.com last November that 2022 rookie Binder “was a victim” of RNF’s split with Yamaha, as the South African was contracted to the Japanese manufacturer.
With RNF moving to Aprilia machinery for 2023, it will leave Yamaha as the only manufacturer on the grid without a satellite partner.
The RNF squad enjoyed a solid pre-season testing phase, with five-time race winner Oliveira 11th overall at the end of the Portugal test.
While the team will enjoy close ties with Aprilia in 2023, it will not run full works-spec bikes this season.
With RNF’s official 2023 launch on Monday afternoon, the entire MotoGP grid has unveiled the liveries it will race with this season.
The new campaign begins this weekend with the Portuguese GP, and will mark the first time in MotoGP history that sprint races will feature on the schedule.
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