Jack Miller, the Australian rider for Prima Pramac Yamaha, arrives at the MotoGP Spanish Grand Prix eager to improve upon a season start defined by fluctuating performances. Following a contrasting experience in Qatar, where his performance differed markedly from his impressive fifth-place finish in Austin, Miller is focused on bouncing back at the Jerez circuit, a track he favors over the previous locations.
In anticipation of the weekend, Miller remarked, “After what was not our finest round in Qatar, I’m looking forward to hopefully bouncing back here in Jerez—a track that I like a lot more than Qatar. And I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do in the M1 around here. It looks warm for the weekend—not crazy warm like we’ve seen here in the past, but still warm enough. So, that will be a factor playing a part. But I’m looking forward to getting it underway.”
Miller acknowledges that the YZR-M1’s performance can significantly hinge on track conditions. Sharing insights about recent races, he explained, “A little bit. For example, Argentina was very tough for us with low grip. You try and manage what you can, because the front-end is solid, so you try and manage with roll speed. But for example, I felt very fortunate in Texas with the grip conditions, the weather.”
Reflecting further, Miller admitted, “In Thailand a little bit, and in Qatar I rode like sh*t. So, that was on me. But I feel like the more experience I have with this bike, the more I understand that you are relying on the track conditions, because we’re kind of held by that. If there’s grip, we’re able to use it; if there’s no grip, it kind of takes away what is our stronger point. You end up with less tools in your toolbox to try and recover.”
Despite the challenges, Miller believes in Yamaha’s progress in addressing these concerns. “I think it’s something that we’ve definitely improved already with the chassis updates and so on. And I think it’s something that we will continue to try and improve, and I don’t think it’s out of the realm of possibility to try and improve that scenario before the end of the season with the concessions, with the tests, and so on. I think we’re very fortunate in that area,” he said.
Miller is particularly optimistic about the ongoing testing and development efforts by Yamaha. He described a renewed focus, saying, “I think that’s something that we can work on and we’ll get better throughout the year. It’s not something that we can’t fix in the coming months.” This sense of assurance stems from a more modern and comprehensive approach towards dealing with the bike’s sensitivity to track conditions.
Looking ahead, Miller’s confidence is buoyed by these developments, as he underscores the importance of leveraging Yamaha’s development concessions. “The biggest part now is just trying to, first and foremost, put the work in with the tests. But also to be as clear and precise with the comments as possible—which I feel in the past they weren’t getting the clearest of informations, because generally track conditions on a Monday test are phenomenal and the bike’s working fantastic,” he concluded.
As the MotoGP season progresses, Jack Miller and Yamaha continue to tackle challenges with a clear-eyed focus, working towards extracting the maximum potential from their machine. This ongoing journey not only highlights the Australian rider’s determination but also signals Yamaha’s commitment to enhancing performance, setting the stage for an exciting and competitive championship.
