The Austrian Grand Prix marked a sharply disappointing weekend for Yamaha as their M1 bikes struggled disastrously on the long straights of the Red Bull Ring, with all four riders finishing near the back and managing only a single point collectively. The glaring issue was the glaring rear grip deficiency that Jack Miller openly criticized, highlighting a severe technical flaw in the Yamaha M1 during the 2024 season.
Jack Miller Details the Critical Rear Grip Failure
Jack Miller pointed to the catastrophic lack of rear grip as the primary cause of Yamaha’s poor performance. From the outset of the race, he experienced severe traction problems.
“There’s not much to say after a very, very difficult weekend for all of us,”
Miller acknowledged, visibly frustrated. He described the grip situation in detail:
“For the first five laps, the grip was acceptable, but it was the kind of grip we should normally have at the end of a race, not at the beginning.”
This early deterioration left the riders fighting to control bikes that were already compromised at the start.
Miller further explained the issue with the rear tire interaction:
“It’s quite clear on paper that this weekend our bike simply doesn’t work with this rear tire.”
Despite trying various strategies like short-shifting and managing throttle input to control wheelspin, Miller was powerless against the problem.
“At around 120 km/h, the rear just unloaded. I was spinning in a straight line. Completely powerless,”
he said, illustrating how the rear tire lost grip suddenly, undermining acceleration.
M1 Split Between Outstanding Front and Failing Rear Performance
Although the rear grip was failing dramatically, Miller found a small positive, underscoring the lopsided nature of the bike’s performance.
“The front end of the YZR-M1 is phenomenal,”
he noted, praising the bike’s handling under braking. However, he added,
“But the rear is the limitation. We need to work hard to understand how to improve it.”
This disparity was visibly clear as Yamaha riders could brake confidently but were helpless on acceleration—the crucial section at Red Bull Ring where strong rear traction is essential.
Severe Impact on Miller’s Season and Team Standings
Miller’s disappointing result, finishing 18th and scoring no points, marked his first pointless race since Mugello and dropped him to 17th in the championship standings, trailing just behind Ai Ogura and with Joan Mir closing in. Beyond Miller’s personal setback, Yamaha’s collective poor showing was stark; having all four riders at the bottom of the time sheets signals a critical crisis for a team historically proud of its engineering prowess and competitive pedigree.
Is Yamaha at a Crossroads After the Austrian Warning?
Miller’s candid assessment throws light on the urgent crisis facing Yamaha. His openness may serve as a call to arms for the engineers at the factory in Iwata as they confront a fundamental flaw that threatens to derail the M1’s competitiveness. The challenge is immense: Yamaha must rapidly devise solutions to fix the rear grip problem or risk sliding further behind their strong rivals, including Ducati, KTM, and Aprilia, who have shown marked progress this season.
The failure at the Austrian GP was more than a poor race—it was a stark warning. Yamaha’s response in the coming rounds will determine whether the M1 can reclaim its former status or continue to fade in relevance within MotoGP’s fiercely competitive environment.
