Jack Miller suddenly disappeared from the radar as soon as an insistent rumor wanting him as the next KTM official alongside Brad Binder in 2023 fueled the news in the paddock. Could there be cause and effect? We don't know, but the latest results from the one who is still an official Ducati are almost understandable. An opinion shared by “JackAss” who says it in his own way, without bothering with embellishments…
When we ask Jack Miller what he takes away from this ninth round of the world championship which took place in Catalonia, his answer is direct: “ There's no point sugarcoating it: it was a pretty shitty day to end a shitty weekend ". And he adds: “ finish 14th… last year I was on the podium here, and this year I was 30 seconds away and I'm looking for answers. We know the bike and I haven't forgotten how to ride it... we absolutely have to go, analyze it and understand what happened ».
His incomprehension is all the greater as the Montmèlo route is in a way his training ground: “ the Barcelona track has been pretty good for me in the last few years before this, and it's not that far from Andorra for me. I've done a bunch of rides here on the Ducati Panigale over the years. But it's such a difficult circuit when it's super hot because the grip level is not fantastic. It's always pretty low here but when it's hot you slip everywhere and it gets worse here every year. The asphalt isn't even that old – I think it's three years old – so it's a bit of a shame. It's slippery like Argentina ».
« You can't really get close to the bike's limit because you fear losing the front end, which changes the way you attack corners » he points out. “ You have to be super clean, basically. It's always a strategic race here more than a fast race. You have to survive the conditions and see how much grip you have in the last five laps, because you can make big gains or lose a lot at the end of the races here. It's a bit like a waiting game, you have to be patient and wait for other people's tires to fall at the end of the race. It's the only plan here ».
Jack Miller: “ 2023? yes, there are a few things going on at the moment«
But these famous tires decided to upset the teammate of Pecco Bagnaia : " the track was 55 degrees or warmer for qualifying and the race, so we took a gamble in the race with the hard tire hoping it would last even though it made the start of the race difficult. But it never happened, I tried my best from the start of the race to the end but I quickly had nothing left on the right side of the tire. In the end, I was turning in a straight line! The hard tire just didn't work, basically ". It will be recalled that Johann zarco had made the same choice, with the same disappointment at the end of the scenario, but with a podium all the same.
For the Australian, on the other hand, this podium was a long way away… “ I got 11th at one point with no real pace, passed a few of the guys and others fell or dropped out so I might have had a half chance of sneaking into the top 10 , but in the end it was as if I was with a Panigale with commercial tires, and that's not normal. Other than that, there's not much else I can say. Just very frustrated, and the last two weekends haven't been great ».
On its future in MotoGP, he blurted out: “ there's a bit going on at the moment, we'll be heading to Germany in a few weeks and... yeah, there are a few things going on. There are no official announcements at the moment, but we're just waiting for one to come out. You will all know what is happening soon… ". At the same time, we should also know who will be on the second red Ducati. Meet at the Sachsenring from June 16 ?
MotoGP Catalonia Race: classification
Credit MotoGP.com
