TECHNICAL ISSUE HAMPERED MILLER AT ARAGON
Aussie MotoGP World Championship rider Jack Miller was dissatisfied with a fifth-place finish in the Aragon Grand Prix, attributing the result to a minor technical issue.
Factory Ducati rider Miller started on the front row and sat in third for most of the race.
However, a mistake from the Queenslander at the halfway stage of the race into the final turn saw him fall behind both Joan Mir and Aleix Espargaro to finish the race in fifth.
“Definitely not the day I expected, I wanted a little more,” Miller said.
“We had a small technical issue which was affecting me on entry to the corners, I was making mistakes.
“For example, when I went long in the last corner and into Turn 1, I kept having an issue, so we need to look more the data and analyse.
“I made the mistake and allowed Aleix and Joan through, and that was it, the rest of the race was quite lonely, just trying to manage the tyres, manage my space, and manage the issue we had.”
Despite the setbacks, Miller remains fifth in the championship standings within striking distance of French rider Johann Zarco, who finished 17th and has now not finished in the top 10 in the last three races.
With five rounds scheduled to complete the season, Miller is confident of an upturn in results.
“My bike felt great, I felt really good on it, I felt like I could push especially when I was together with Marc (Marquez) and Pecco (Francesco Bagnaia) in the beginning,” Miller said.
“I’m excited for the rest of season.
“Especially going into Misano a place where we have done a lot of laps the bike itself has done a lot of laps.
“We put some more points on the board, I’m happy with closing up to fourth but unfortunately I lose some points to Joan.
“I need to try and get some really decent results and put some really decent points back on the board.”
Ducati teammate Bagnaia won his maiden MotoGP race at Aragon after finishing second four times previously.
Miller was happy for his fellow Ducati rider, who held off a race long attack from Marc Marquez.
“I’m very happy for Pecco because he’s been fighting and been fast for a long time. To finally get the victory, it’s really nice,” Miller said.
In the championship Miller is embedded within a five-rider pack that is chasing runaway title leader Fabio Quartararo.
Quartararo is 53 points clear of Bagnaia, while just 44 points separate second through to sixth.
The next round takes places this weekend at the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli.
For more of the latest MotoGP news pick up the current issue of Auto Action. Also make sure you follow us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or our weekly email newsletter for all the latest updates between issues.
