Let's talk MotoGP: Jack Miller is in danger!

Jack Miller occupies a place that many dream of on the MotoGP grid. Even if it is true that the KTM package seems below what was expected in view of the 2023 season, the Australian is struggling to start his year. After five races, the results are quite serious, even in comparison with Brad Binder, who is also having quite difficult times since seventh place in the general classification. While transfer rumors are rife, could Jack Miller keep his place?

 

It's going badly

 

I'm going to be extremely clear: after five Grands Prix, which is a significant sample, he is having his worst start to the season in MotoGP since 2016. As a KTM official, and while Pedro Acosta dazzles the motorcycling world, it's a bit strange. Miller is still not on the podium, and counts two fifth places in Portugal as his best results, but again, to be weighed due to the elimination of Marc Marquez, Pecco Bagnaia and Maverick Vinales at the end of the Sunday race . It should also be noted that it is one of his favorite circuits. Last year, for his debut with KTM – and during his first GP with the orange, he scored a magnificent fourth place in the Sprint.

On the other tests, it is much less brilliant. Three appearances in the top 9 during the Sprints in five races, and already three finishes outside the points on Sunday, including two retirements in the last two events. For the first GP, he had to pit due to an engine problem. But even excluding this failure, his position in the championship is chilling.

 

 

He is in 13th place overall, two places lower than last year. He is already 43 points behind Binder, while honestly, the South African is not that well placed. We could say, indeed, that this should be put into perspective due to the average performances of his teammate since Qatar. But this is not the case.

A little advanced statistic can help us. In 2023, Binder had scored 40,2% of all available points, i.e. 293 units out of 728. This season, he is 36,2%, which is okay but below his previous totals. Miller, last year, scored 22,4%. This season, he is 13%. The difference, in percentage points, is higher in 2024 than in 2023.

 

 

The third man

 

The presence of Pedro Acosta hurts both officials, and fortunately for Miller, softens the slap. Because Binder, present in the team since 2020, is also less strong. But when we look at his statements, there is nothing reassuring. At the end of the French Grand Prix, which he won in 2021 in special conditions, he said he had no solutions, as if facing a wall. The role of a factory pilot is also that of dictating a direction to follow, of imposing a vision, of taking the troops into combat. Clearly, given his results, Miller does not seem in a strong position to dictate anything at KTM.

So, certainly, he has some great breakthroughs. His qualifications were sometimes successful. Sometimes missed, too, like in Jerez. But the fact remains that transfer time is fast approaching. As a reminder, 19 drivers will see their contracts expire once the Valencia Grand Prix is ​​over. Miller is part of this group, unlike his teammate.

 

 

Can he stay at KTM? In my opinion, no. I am not simply basing myself on his results at the start of the season, but rather on his regression for more than a year. It's still mysterious that a driver achieves some of his best performances when he has just discovered the machine, and then runs out of steam. Even if KTM stagnates a little, even if it means falling behind Aprilia in the hierarchy, I persist in saying that this brand could worry Ducati in the medium term. But with Miller, I have more doubts.

Not surprisingly, I see Pedro Acosta joining Brad Binder in 2025. But what to do with Miller? Does he have priority over a Maverick Vinales, an Alex Marquez, or a Joan Mir to rebound, for example, at Gresini Racing ? Not for me, very subjectively. Rumors are circulating that the presence of an Australian on the grid would be “beneficial” (read, necessary) for DORNA. Perhaps this parameter independent of his talent will save him, because his charisma becomes more and more discreet, as if we were used to the character. That he no longer surprised, that he no longer made us laugh as much as before. He absolutely must pull himself together to have any chance of enjoying good riding later. Without a doubt, the looming Grands Prix will be decisive.

What do you think of the Jack Miller case? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Photo: Michelin Motorsport