Jack Miller's MotoGP career looked all but over in some moments of 2024 - so this nascent Pramac Yamaha stint is already a net positive in a sense, regardless of how it's actually going. The thing is, it's going well.
Maybe that's not particularly surprising. This is the same rider who missed out on the podium by just a tenth in his first KTM start (the 2023 Portimao sprint) and, prior to that, probably deserved to win on just his second Ducati start (the famous 2018 Argentine Grand Prix).
Miller has his limitations as a MotoGP rider, but the ability and desire to push up to his baseline of performance very early on is an unquestionable asset - especially in this era of MotoGP where you can never be too sure a rider will click with a bike, and those who don't then often struggle to find the groove through many a round.
"He's a little bit more natural in adapting to the bike. His riding style suits the bike a lot - especially because he's quite strong on the braking," said new team-mate Miguel Oliveira of Miller.
"I just need a bit more time...I'm not that far but it's a little bit here, a little bit there."
Miller's comments corroborate Oliveira's view - at Sepang, he explained how he particularly relished making use of the Yamaha M1's front end, in terms of "feedback, turning, braking".
"I've never rode a motorcycle with a front end like it," said Miller. "It's a blessing and it's also a curse because you don't know where is the limit. Even now you're like, 'Pushing, pushing, pushing... uhhhh... stayed there! ... uhhhh... stayed there!'
"It's an awesome feeling to have that confidence and be able to build that confidence, but it takes a lot to build that confidence."
Miller has never been shy at probing around for the limit, so it's no big surprise that he's thriving right now. Though lead Yamaha rider Fabio Quartararo appeared hamstrung by the tyre allocation in Buriram testing, even with that caveat Miller being three hundredths off him was remarkable.
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Back when Miller's MotoGP future was up in the air, Yamaha and Pramac were choosing between him - a series veteran who seemed to have encountered a fundamental block in what he could actually achieve - and a Moto2 gamble, most notably then-points leader Sergio Garcia. It chose Miller, and whether by coincidence or at least partial correlation Garcia's season completely imploded after that.
But even with that hindsight knowledge in mind it wasn't a clear choice, and the fact Miller's career was on thin ice is reflected by the fact it still is. Of Yamaha's four riders, he is alone in being on a one-year deal.
If Yamaha wants someone from Moto2, he is the guy on the chopping block by contractual necessity.
Today, though, an extension to at least 2026 and perhaps a longer-term future in the camp seems a lot more plausible, and a 'marriage of convenience' move feels like it doesn't have to stay that way.
At Ducati and at KTM, Miller found himself towards the top of the rider ladder - and then plateaued just enough for his employees to feel that, as good as he can be and as competent as he is, his limitations are too much for them not to be tempted by a higher-upside alternative. Though he'd jumped before he was pushed, he had no chance of defending his Ducati ride against Enea Bastainini or Jorge Martin - and his chance of hanging onto the factory KTM ride over Pedro Acosta was somehow even less than that.
The move to Yamaha represents another chance to push past that performance barrier and become a rider who - more importantly than anything - isn't fundamentally biased towards single-lap performance and shorter distances, who doesn't find himself fighting a rearguard action as much as Miller has had to in his career.
That would be a fundamental upturn, though. But it feels like, whereas Ducati and KTM needed Miller to be more than he has been, Yamaha might not. This might already be enough for a while.
The one-year deal remains a source of peril and insecurity - but if the 2025 campaign follows the tone set by the pre-season, Miller as a long-term cog in the rebuilding Yamaha machine would actually make a whole lot of sense.
