MOTOGP JAPAN: MIGUEL OLIVEIRA 'COULDN'T SEE WHERE I WAS GOING, RAUL FERNANDEZ FUMING OVER BIKE SWAP PENALTY

Miguel Oliveira retired from Sunday’s Japanese MotoGP due to visibility problems but if he had kept going for just half a lap he would have been credited with sixth place.

The RNF Aprilia rider stormed from 16th to 4th in the opening seven laps, which included a dry-to-wet bike swap."

 But like most riders, he was running a ‘dry’ visor set-up, which became overwhelmed by the increasing rain.

The Portuguese was in sixth when he parked his RS-GP in the pits on lap 12 of what was due to be a 24-lap race.

However, the race was then stopped at the start of lap 13, with results taken from the end of lap 12.

With his bike moved from pit lane into the garage, it was unclear if Oliveira would be allowed to join the planned restart.

 Examination of the timing of the stoppage and Oliveira’s bike in pitlane saw him classified 18th and one lap down at the conclusion of lap 12.

""It was actually going well, the flag to flag was smooth with no big issues,” Oliveira said. “I changed the bike and started my wet race and I was feeling quite competitive.

“Then with more rain I felt even better, the bike was handling quite well. But then three laps before I retired, I started to struggle to see. I couldn't see anything and it never happened to me, I couldn't even see where I was going to put my wheels.

“There was so much water and I was telling myself to be calm and not to quit. But I came half a lap distance [from completing lap 12] and that was my race finished. The guys pulled in the bike into the garage which made it complicated to then restart, but finally I could restart from the pit lane, but the race was already ended."

Team manager Wilco Zeelenberg said: “They all started with the dry visor. The rain was pouring and the water came into his helmet, so he could not see anything for a couple of laps. For safety reasons, he decided to pit in. Unfortunately, again, after he came in, they red-flagged the race half a lap later due to the weather conditions.”

Team boss Razlan Razali acknowledged the visibility problem but felt retirement could have been avoided by a change of helmet."

 “[Miguel] couldn't see anything. It's something that in the future we would need to do something rather than sitting it out, we need to understand the issue because he can change his equipment when he has a problem,” Razali said.

- Peter McLaren