Miller focused on positives despite crash

Although it ended in disappointment, Jack Miller was pleased by an upturn in pace at the Austrian Motorcycle Grand Prix.

Miller qualified fifth and in the Sprint proceeded to score his first top five race result since Portugal, nine races ago.

The #43 was fighting towards the front as well in the Grand Prix, sitting in the top four early before being passed by Brad Binder and Marco Bezzecchi.

The Australian was then under immense pressure with Marc Marquez on his tail before the race came to an abrupt end.

Miller crashed out of fifth at the chicane, which was a sad end to an important weekend with his future the subject of much speculation.

Despite the frustrating finish, Miller said it was a boost to be fighting back towards the front of the field.

“Austria was a weekend of solid pace, good vibes, and decent running despite a small mishap on my end,” Miller wrote in his website column.

“We were pretty competitive from the get-go, and it was nice to have some confidence heading into the weekend.

“We felt we learned a lot throughout these (practice and qualifying) sessions and I felt like we maximised that side of things.

“The Sprint Race went pretty bloody well too I must say – to finish up there in P5 right with the boys was awesome as it’s been a minute since we’ve had that pace. 

“To bank a solid result like that is crucial for points and momentum for the remainder of the season.

“In the Feature Race, not the ideal way we wanted that to pan out.

“I felt like we were in a good position again and the pace was strong, but just a small mistake on my behalf – not sure if I hit a bump or what – but it ultimately put me down.

“That was a real bummer to end the weekend like that, although there were a lot of positives to take away and all things considered I’m happy that we had a competitive bike throughout the weekend and a solid showing despite the crash.”

The next MotoGP race will be a return to Aragon on August 30-September 1.

Image: Joerg Mitter/Red Bull Content Pool

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