Ducati rider Jack Miller says he feels unfairly singled out in terms of speculation about his MotoGP future.
The 27-year-old, a three-time grand prix winner, has not enjoyed obvious career stability during his time in the premier class since he stepped up from Moto3, but finally found himself in a marquee ride last year as he moved to Ducati.
Ducati has now handed a 2023-24 deal to Miller’s team-mate Francesco Bagnaia but Miller still needs to make sure of a longer-term place in the marque’s works outfit, following strong rookie seasons from satellite riders Jorge Martin and Enea Bastianini, and both making clear their aspirations of a factory Ducati ride.
Asked about this situation and whether it imbued him with extra motivation ahead of the start of the 2022 season in Qatar, Miller said: “I see my situation the same as it is every year.
“Every year around this time every journalist in the world starts to write s*** about it, about me, about how I’m going to lose my job, how I’m done, writing me off.
“It’s the same as it always ever was. There’s nothing I can do, no control I have over that.
“So all I can do is just do the best job I can on track – and if I keep my job, I keep my job, if I don’t, I don’t.”
Miller has previously tacitly acknowledged the threat of being replaced by someone like Martin, after he finished 2021 two places and 71 points down on his emergent team-mate Bagnaia.
“It’s just the same bulls*** that I have to deal with every year, I don’t understand why I have to deal with it and others don’t, but it’s okay, I’ll accept that and continue on,” he added.
THE RACE SAYS
It is only fair for us at The Race to acknowledge we have repeatedly discussed Miller’s future and put it in question, so in that regard editorial sympathy towards his stance might not be worth much – but that sympathy is there.
Miller has not enjoyed much in the way of long-term career certainty in MotoGP. His turbulent time at Honda was well-documented and, though the switch to Pramac Ducati brought some serenity, it only lasted as far as 2019, when he was clearly rattled by the mooted possibility of making way mid-season for Jorge Lorenzo – despite having enjoyed a clearly good year.
There was also the fact that he started his well-earned factory Ducati tenure on a one-year deal and, though entering 2021 as a highly-touted potential favourite, had a rough enough start to the season for there to be questions over whether he’d actually earn an extension.
But were those questions really unjustified? And are questions for 2023 really unjustified? Surely it’s fair to say it’s a ‘no’ on both counts.
The MotoGP rider market plays out well in advance. Miller should know this as well as anybody – his 2021 deal to effectively replace Danilo Petrucci in the factory Ducati team was not just agreed but made official before the start of the (admittedly COVID-delayed) 2020 season.
Things move fast – not just for Miller, but for other riders. Pol Esparagro will be facing similar questions, too, as will Takaaki Nakagami. Miller shouldn’t feel singled out, although he can justifiably point to the fact that he easily had a better 2021 than the pair.
But Miller has such a good seat, with such an impressive roster of pretenders vying for it, that it’s inevitable there will be doubts about his future. And if he feels he’s been “written off” too soon – well, honestly, maybe he’s right, but there’s still clearly time to make those who have eat their words.
