This third retirement in six races contested this season was perhaps the most painful for Jack Miller. On the grounds of a Ducati factory that he dreams of serving by wearing a red overall, he fell while he was among the first four and before a final which confirmed his rival for the position, Danilo Petrucci. The Australian will therefore review his ambitions if he wants to remain within the fold of Borgo Panigale. An obligation, because the opportunities on the market are reduced to the bare minimum...
For the Australian rider Pramac Ducati, the situation at the “Oakley Italian Grand Prix” in Mugello looked very promising in the first part of the race. He was fifth after the first lap behind Márquez, Dovizioso, Petrucci et Crutchlow. He was still in fifth place after four laps. In struggle with Alex Rins to stay in contact with the leading men, he ended up making a mistake and leaving his illusions in the Mugello gravel trap.
« It was a great race, it was a lot of fun, we fought hard. Danilo was in the lead with about ten laps to go, he was really pushing, the pace was huge » explains the teammate of a bagnaia who also made a mistake. “ Until then, the drivers had taken great care to protect the tires. But on the 13th lap, I saw that Danilo and Marc had really pushed. The rear tires had already suffered a lot, I could see it clearly. This created a bit of a gap for me. I wanted to close the gap, so I set my fastest lap of the race and wanted to take Rins at turn 1, but I wasn't close enough ».
We're down to four contenders at the front! ✊@Petrux9 is still holding on but @jackmilleraus has fallen from fifth spot! 👀#ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/3duFe6WQUk
- MotoGP @ 🏁 (@MotoGP) June 2, 2019
« Rins then had a huge slide in turn 5, I slowed down a little more than usual, and when I released the brake the front wheel went away. I wanted to make up for it with my elbow. But it was impossible... It was a bad end after a great race. I can't change anything anymore ».
« We fought for victory, that's what we have to remember from this Grand Prix. Unfortunately, the race ended eight laps too early for me ", added Jack. “ Today I was able to watch the rivals a lot. I saw where they are stronger. But I also saw in which areas I was fastest, for example when I came out of the curve at the start of the straight. I was pretty strong there. We learned a lot and must do better in Barcelona in two weeks ».
Jack Miller remains sixth in championnat on par with Crutchlow and he is only two points ahead of Casa Particular in Viñales et Nakagami.
Italian Grand Prix MotoGP Mugello J3: classification
