Superbike, BMW takes its time: Where will Oliveira and Petrucci be in 2027?

The German manufacturer did not exercise the options on the current riders’ contracts and prefers to wait: there could be changes for the next SBK season.

Toprak Razgatlioglu’s decision to leave the Superbike World Championship for MotoGP has changed the scenario at BMW. For two years the M 1000 RR had been constantly fighting for victory thanks to the phenomenal Turk, who managed to become world champion, but in 2026 it was not possible to maintain a similar standard of results with Miguel Oliveira and Danilo Petrucci. The newcomers had to face a difficult adaptation process to the bike, with pre-season tests ruined by bad weather, and they also had to deal with serious injuries that inevitably affected their path.

The Portuguese rider was injured at Balaton Park and returned at the SBK round in Misano Adriatico, while Petrux was hurt at Most and will be back in action on the weekend of July 10–12 at Donington Park. Oliveira has been the only one able to get on the podium: three times at his home round in Portimao and once in Race 1 in Hungary. The Italian, on the other hand, has a sixth place in Race 2 at Phillip Island as his best result of 2026.

In the early rounds, before their respective injuries, Miguel seemed to have adapted better than his teammate to the M 1000 RR. In fact, his confirmation for 2027 appeared quite certain. Instead, the situation now seems a bit different.

The two riders had signed contracts expiring in 2026, with options to extend the deals to 2027. The BMW Board of Management still had to decide whether to confirm its Superbike presence for the future, so there was no chance to sign two-year contracts. The confirmation then arrived, but the German manufacturer nevertheless decided not to exercise the options concerning Oliveira and Petrucci.

The deadline to exercise the options was set for June 30. It’s not yet ruled out that the two could remain on their M 1000 RR next year, but new negotiations will be needed, if applicable. Sven Blusch, director of BMW Motorrad Motorsport, spoke to Speedweek as follows: “During the summer break we will discuss future planning with the riders and, first of all, we will evaluate the Donington weekend. We won’t let ourselves get anxious and we’ll all give ourselves a bit more time.”

At BMW they want to carefully assess the riders’ physical recovery as well as their results. The next round at Donington Park already seems to be a very important appointment. After that there will be a long summer break (the next round will be at Magny-Cours at the beginning of September) during which decisions will be made for the 2027 SBK season.

Looking at the results achieved so far, it seems that Oliveira has the best chance of staying with the ROKiT BMW Motorrad team. Clearly, the fact that the renewal option was not exercised allows him to consider other opportunities as well, particularly the highly coveted Aruba Ducati team. Both Nicolò Bulega’s move to MotoGP and Iker Lecuona’s renewal seem certain, so there’s a Panigale V4 R to assign. It’s tempting for many, including the Portuguese. If the chance to ride for the official Ducati squad were to fall through, staying with BMW would probably be the best alternative solution, both for technical and financial reasons.

Petrucci is at greater risk, but if confirmation in the current team were to fall through, there could be a return to the Ducati orbit. The Barni Spark Racing Team, for which he raced from 2023 to 2025, could take him back if the split with Alvaro Bautista materializes. And who would climb onto his M 1000 RR? BMW has already sounded out Manu Gonzalez, leader of the Moto2 World Championship who risks not having a seat in MotoGP in 2027. And there are several riders leaving the MotoGP paddock who could be of interest. The German manufacturer will have no problem putting together a good line-up.

Even though today it’s normal to think you need to ride a Ducati to be on the podium, it should be remembered that in 2027 there will be a new tire supplier (Michelin replacing Pirelli) and there could be other changes capable of shuffling the deck a bit on track. The mere fact that Bulega, the outright dominator of the 2026 championship, should no longer be there will be good news for the rest of the SBK grid.

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