“Even if we are playing number two, Goose to his Maverick – but you know, it’s one of those things, it’s cool to be a part of it.”
Leaving aside how funky it is to have someone in MotoGP referred to as ‘Maverick’ who isn’t, in fact, Maverick Vinales, and leaving aside that the original Top Gun movie doesn’t end so great for Goose, it is deeply endearing and impressive to see Ducati rider Jack Miller talk in such terms about supporting the title campaign of his team-mate Francesco Bagnaia.
Miller was in Bagnaia’s corner last year as the Italian made his futile bid to overhaul Fabio Quartararo’s points lead, and he remains in Bagnaia’s corner now in what is looking like a similar situation in 2022.
In other words, it’s nothing new – but it’s still a remarkable state of affairs given Miller’s time at Ducati is running out, while also perhaps being more meaningful because Miller looks better than he was last year.
A rear gunner is a serious luxury not afforded to the vast majority of MotoGP title hopefuls. Certainly, it hasn’t worked out at Ducati in the past – Jorge Lorenzo was spurning team orders when Andrea Dovizioso’s title bid needed them back in 2017, and his replacement Danilo Petrucci, while keen to help, ruffled Dovizioso’s feathers by racing him too hard to get a maiden win at Mugello and was very rarely in any position to help him from then on.
Miller failed to keep Quartararo at bay at the Red Bull Ring lsat weekend, suffering in left-hand corners at the end of the race and falling prey to a sumptuous move in the chicane that he said “made me look stupid”.
But he did waste enough of Quartararo’s time to make sure Bagnaia never had to worry about the defending champion putting any sort of sustained pressure on him.
And Miller has arguably hit the perfect kind of form for Ducati – he’s been a reliable frontrunner of late, quick enough to be in the mix and try to take points off Quartararo and Aleix Espargaro if the opportunity presents itself, but not quite quick enough to where he needs to be ordered to stay behind the MotoGP form man Bagnaia.
“Again, just, since we’ve come back from that test in Barcelona [after the race in June], every week it’s been there or thereabouts, no matter the circumstances, with long laps [penalties] or whatever included,” Miller said in Austria.
“We’ve been able to challenge for the podium, and what is it, three from four, we’ve been able to get. It’s been great.”
Normally, you either get pace or compliance. Either your lead rider’s team-mate is not fast enough to be a nuisance or help, or they’re fast enough to help but also to be a nuisance.
And Miller clearly isn’t under orders to stay behind Bagnaia at all costs – he did attempt to get ahead early on in the Austrian GP, in a bid to “get some cool air” on his soft front tyre, only for Bagnaia to rebuff the Turn 9-10 attack and subsequently check out.
That’s been the pattern – there’s no clear team orders, but the competitive order has been working itself out in Ducati’s favour, and Miller is happy to acknowledge that.
“We’ve seen time and time again him get out front and just charge off like that,” he said of Bagnaia.
“And it takes a massive amount of mental strength and concentration to do that, especially at a track round here where you can make a tiny mistake and it can cost you quite a bit.
“Three in a row, matching Casey [Stoner, the only other rider to win three in a row for Ducati] – I mean… it shows how good he’s riding, especially the level of MotoGP at the moment, to do that in this day and age is incredible.”
But it’s not just professional respect but a clear personal affinity. You may remember Miller jumping to Bagnaia’s defence in a press conference in which the latter was being quizzed about his Ibiza drink-driving incident. That’s not to say that was the right thing for Miller to do or a particularly cogent argument – because, well, it really wasn’t – but it certainly speaks to loyalty.
And you have to admire the loyalty, given that Bagnaia effectively ended Miller’s chances of becoming Ducati’s post-Dovizioso team leader, by being just a little bit too good, and that Miller was by most accounts made surplus to requirements at Ducati before sealing his upcoming KTM move.
“The whole team, it’s just amazing to be a part of it, you know?” said Miller.
“Hopefully we can keep this momentum and the good vibes in the team going through to the end of the year, because I feel like when we’re happy and gelling like this, it’s bringing better results, it’s bringing the morale up in the box.
“It’s an amazing time to be here, to be a part of it, this run of form that he [Bagnaia] has got going and how he’s going for the championship, it’s awesome, and it’s just nice to be in the box and be a part of it.”
Bagnaia will miss this kind of attitude. He’s made this clear in his past lobbying for Miller to keep the ride, and given the feistiness of both Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, it does not feel very likely that he’ll have as harmonious a relationship with whoever is chosen to replace Miller.
But even if Martin or Bastianini or both are the future, Ducati will have now seen a perfect demonstration of why it will too miss Miller.
Though the Aussie is holding out hope for a “couple more [wins], hopefully, if not one more on the board before we switch the colours”, there doesn’t seem to be much doubt that helping Bagnaia to a title would take priority over that.
And if that 44-point gap between Quartararo and Bagnaia is to be properly assailed, you better believe Jack Miller will play his part.
