Jack Miller makes a strong showing in the MotoGP opener in Thailand: The Australian had to improvise in the race and still finished as the best Yamaha rider.
Jack Miller can look back on a positive start to the 2025 MotoGP season. In terms of pure speed, Miller was the best of the four Yamaha riders. In qualifying, the Pramac rider surprised with P4 and just missed the front row, while fellow Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo (who had problems that set the Frenchman back) only managed to secure P10. And Miller was also strong in the races.
A crash prevented him from scoring points in the sprint. In the Grand Prix, Miller was in the top six until the 16th lap. Quartararo was out of the points at this point. But after lap 21, Miller lost many positions and slipped out of the top 10.
After 26 laps, he crossed the finish line 22.3 seconds behind winner Marc Marquez in P11. Nevertheless, he was still the best Yamaha rider.
Fairing comes loose: Jack Miller has to improvise
“Overall, it was a good day for me. The bike actually felt pretty good,” Miller said after the race. However, the Grand Prix did not go completely without incident for Miller.
“On lap eight, though, I had a small problem with the fairing. I lost contact with the leading group,” Miller explains, adding: ‘Unfortunately, one of the bolts or clips had come loose. The whole fairing started to come off. And as we know, aerodynamics are crucial these days for the bike to turn in well.’
“On top of that, it got even hotter because the heat was no longer properly dissipated from the motorcycle, but was directed straight at me. That made the race even more exhausting,” Miller describes, and is pleased: “But still, we made it to the finish.”
“It’s worth the burns on your arm,” jokes the charismatic Australian, describing how he rode with the fairing loose: ”I tried to hold the fairing on the straights. Because as soon as I picked up speed, it kept flapping open. And I was nervous because I was going over 300 km/h on the straight and I was afraid it might come off completely.“
”So I held it together as best I could,” explains the Yamaha rider. ”And as I said, it got really hot on my arm, and all that heat was directed to my legs. That made an already uncomfortable race even more uncomfortable. But I held out, gritted my teeth and brought home a few points.”
Jack Miller is unable to maintain the pace towards the end of the race
Despite the problem, Miller leaves the first stop in Buriram in 11th place in the world championship and is therefore the best-placed Yamaha rider. “My strongest area was actually sector 2, especially in turns 4 and 5. But then I had difficulties getting the bike into the corners and carrying the speed,” he describes his impressions.
“I lost a few more positions than I would have liked towards the end, especially in the fast corners, but I finished the race, stayed on the track and scored a few points – that’s the main thing,” the Australian sums up.
“All in all, it was a positive weekend. I’d say we’ve established a good base from which we can continue to build,” notes Miller, who had Pramac teammate Miguel Oliveira under control throughout the weekend.
