Jack Miller dismissed the significance of Yamaha’s absence on the second day of the Sepang MotoGP test, calling the technical setback with the V4 motorcycle a typical hurdle when developing a new machine. The Pramac rider emphasized that encountering such issues is expected during a team’s efforts to build a competitive bike ahead of the racing season.
During the previous Shakedown, Miller had topped the MotoGP timesheets on day two, but the official test began with him in 14th position, 1.406 seconds behind reigning champion Marc Marquez. Yamaha’s day two testing was halted due to an unspecified technical problem that affected riders Fabio Quartararo and Toprak Razgatlioglu on day one.
After thorough investigations overnight in Japan and Italy, Yamaha authorized a limited return to testing on the final day to continue preparations despite the reduced running time.
Miller Embraces the Setback and Ongoing Development Work
It’s a hiccup, but it is what it is,
Miller remarked.
“You’d be extremely naive if [you thought it was possible] to build a bike in nine months to race against the best in the world and not have a day like we had yesterday. It’s par for the course.”
He acknowledged the collective effort from Yamaha’s global team, adding,
“So the boys busted their arse last night to find a solution and get us back on track. Not only the guys here, but the guys throughout Japan, Europe, everywhere.”
As I said, it’s inevitable when it comes to something like this and better [to have it] now than the Buriram race or something.
Miller completed 32 laps on the final day, setting the 17th fastest time, 1.754 seconds behind the leader. Reflecting on his performance, he said,
I wasn’t able to extract what I wanted out of the bike, but it wasn’t the bike’s fault,
and noted the need for consistency in the bike’s behavior.
“It was just me – I need time on it, the same sort of bike every time I exit.”
He described the team’s recent focus on evaluating different parts and chassis to understand their strengths and weaknesses.
So we’re at the point now where we’ve got to start riding the same thing and make it very familiar, work a little bit more on electronics, find some horsepower and we’ll be alright.
The V4’s average top speed on the final day was 327.8 km/h, about 10 km/h slower than the factory Ducati ridden by Fabio di Giannantonio.
Miller Shows Promising Sprint Simulation Despite Limited Familiarity
Miller’s unfamiliarity with the Yamaha V4 was highlighted during a Sprint simulation, where his initial lap was quicker than his previous low-fuel time attacks. He expressed satisfaction with the bike’s performance in longer runs.
I was happy enough with it,
he said, referring to the day’s long run.
“I had two cracks at a time this morning and then went for the sprint sim and went eight-tenths quicker in my Sprint sim than I did on the time attack!”
He praised the bike’s stability as track temperatures rose, adding,
I was really happy with the bike in the latter stages of the Sprint sim. Especially when the surface temp gets hot and stuff like that, the bike starts moving. It was staying true to itself and doing what it should do.
Miller was the only Yamaha rider to complete a race simulation on that day, running it in the morning session, whereas most of his rivals did so in the afternoon. His ten-lap sprint was 13.957 seconds slower than the fastest afternoon Sprint time set by Alex Marquez on a Gresini Ducati. This gap would have positioned Miller ninth in last October’s Sprint race, where he finished 14th, 17.601 seconds behind the winner.
Later, Miller improved his best lap by a mere 0.010 seconds during the afternoon session, underscoring the limited track time with consistent settings. Meanwhile, Fabio Quartararo had already withdrawn from the remaining test days due to a finger injury, leaving Alex Rins as the fastest Yamaha rider in 12th place, 1.178 seconds adrift of Marquez.
Yamaha’s Strategy Amid Testing Challenges
Yamaha holds D concession status, allowing the team to modify engine design as needed during the testing phase if unresolved issues persist. This status also permits private testing sessions with race riders to compensate for lost track time during official events. The team’s focus is on solving the technical glitches in time for the next pre-season test scheduled at Buriram on February 21-22.
