Jack Miller believes that the changes made to the calendar and format for the 2023 MotoGP season are not the least of the reasons for numerous injuries in the field
When the MotoGP calendar for the 2023 season was presented at the end of September last year, some of those involved already had a queasy feeling. True, the number of race weekends was ultimately reduced from 21 to 20 due to the cancellation of the Kazakhstan Grand Prix. The real crux, however, remained.
Pol Espargaro, Alex Rins, Enea Bastianini, Marc Marquez, Joan Mir and Miguel Oliveira have had to digest the longest injury breaks. Numerous other riders in the field have had to retire early from one race weekend or another due to injury.
One of those who has always competed this season is Jack Miller. But for the Australian, the long MotoGP 2023 injury list is no surprise. “Yes, we’ve also been unlucky with Rins missing nearly half the season and Marc [Marquez] getting injured early in the year,” Miller says.
“But the majority of the injuries,” Miller continues, “were due to collisions that happened either right at the start or in the first corner. I think more than anything it has to do with the high intensity of the race series.”
Miller cites that of Enea Bastianini on the Barcelona weekend as a telling example. There, the Ducati rider was demoted three places on the grid for Sunday’s Grand Prix. Reason: In practice on Friday, Bastianini had held up Tech3 GasGas rider Pol Espargaro by riding slowly on the racing line.
In Sunday’s Grand Prix Bastianini was the cause of the accident at the start, which involved five Ducati riders including himself. And because Bastianini injured himself in the process, he has not yet ridden again. The Barcelona accident happened five weeks ago. Since then, the Ducati rider has missed three race weekends completely.
“In my opinion, what Enea did in Barcelona was not a lapse or anything like that,” says Miller and explains: “It was a manoeuvre out of desperation. He was moved back a row on the grid. And these days, if you ever start from way back, your race is basically half over. Yes, you can try to fight your way back to the front like a madman. That might work sometimes, but it doesn’t always work.”
“That’s what we’re seeing, which is lots of manoeuvres out of desperation. They are the consequence of how intense this championship has become,” Miller says, referring to the tight race calendar. But for him, that’s not the only reason for the high intensity. “Everything is so close, the bikes and the riders are at such a similar level. It’s a crucible for tense situations in a way,” Miller said.
