Ducati MotoGP rider Jack Miller has opened up on the financial incentives for him not to commit to a support role for points-leading team-mate Pecco Bagnaia for the final two races of the season.
Miller, who will leave Ducati for KTM at the end of the season, was mathematically eliminated from the title fight as he was taken out by Alex Marquez on home soil at Phillip Island – while Bagnaia now heads to the final two races with a 14-point buffer.
Asked ahead of the penultimate weekend of the campaign at Sepang whether the end of his own title challenge meant he would now focus on Bagnaia’s, Miller said: “My main goal is still for myself, personally, that third position in the championship still achievable.
“Again, another long shot, but those other boys [ahead] haven’t the greatest of runs as of recent, so a good chance to pull back some points if that continues.
“I think my main goal is just to try and again the maximum amount of points I can do.
“If Pecco needs help or whatever, I’m there, don’t get me wrong. But at the end of the day this is an individual sport and I will try to get the best I can do.”
And while a top-three finish would be a point of personal pride, and it’s every rider’s stated – perhaps even axiomatic – aim to maximise their position in the championship, there’s another factor at play for Miller.
That factor is maximising his earnings from Ducati’s famously bonus-heavy contractual structure – with the Bologna marque having something of a reputation for lower base salaries being offset by massive results bonuses, something that has already come up in the discussion of how Gresini Ducati’s Enea Bastianini (still in mathematical title contention) has been racing Bagnaia.
“Difference between third and fourth in the championship is quite a considerable amount of money,” Miller acknowledged.
“Goes from being zero to actually something. Trust me, I got fourth last year, you get f**k all for it – ‘nice one, mate, good job’.
“Definitely pushing for that.”
Miller is 27 points off third place in the standings with 50 left up for grabs.
He has been effectively a model team-mate for Bagnaia and adopted something of a rear gunner role in several races across 2021 and 2022, but was not going to settle for finishing behind the Italian in Phillip Island – lunging twice on Bagnaia at Turn 10 before dropping back to prepare for the final stretch of the race when he was wiped out by Marquez.
Miller believes momentum is “well and truly” on Bagnaia’s side now.
“I think he’s got a little bit of margin, [compared to] Phillip Island going into that race with them being so close, virtually equal, on points.
“I think this weekend will be a little bit different, I can fight just more on my own race. Don’t get me wrong, whether it’s for a championship or fighting for 15th or 16th in the championship, the last person in the world you want to t-bone is your team-mate. So you do ride with care around him, I think. At least I do.
“But we’ll wait and see how the race unfolds on a Sunday. Malaysia can always be a little bit of a special one, whether it’s wet, dry, whatever it gets, we need to be ready for anything.”
