Thank goodness Jack Miller’s phone eventually rang.
It didn’t really feel like a travesty when he admitted last summer that he had zero MotoGP offers for 2025. The KTM stint hadn’t worked out, he’d been a clear second-best to Pecco Bagnaia at Ducati. The doors were closing, the Pramac Yamaha vacancy seemed earmarked for a Moto2 graduate (Sergio Garcia or Tony Arbolino the favourites at the point). MotoGP knew what it needed to know about Miller - 10 seasons on the grid, two factory gigs and four grand prix wins was a decent career but his time was now up just before the age of 30 and it didn’t really seem that great an injustice. He probably had a few World Superbike titles in him if he fancied that.
But in the end, Pramac didn’t pick a rookie. And - for a lot of reasons - it must now be very relieved about that.
Not many would’ve predicted that Miller would be top Yamaha rider in the championship (in a lofty 10th) after three rounds. Even fewer would’ve predicted that he’d have been the top Yamaha qualifier - ahead of factory talisman, Yamaha lifer (in MotoGP terms) and proven champion superstar Fabio Quartararo - at two of those three events.
With Pramac team-mate Miguel Oliveira into yet another injury absence and so many question marks still lingering over Alex Rins ever since his own 2023 injury, it’s Miller who’s finally getting Yamaha out of the ‘one rider brand’ rut it’s basically been in ever since Maverick Vinales’ abrupt mid-2021 exit.
We’re still seeing some habitual Miller traits of the kind that have hampered his career so far but were a particular problem at KTM. The race pace doesn’t live up to the qualifying and the starts. You can never rule out a shunt.
But we’re also seeing a lot of his best traits back again - bits of Miller magic that never really flickered into sight at KTM. Fifth place in the tricky Austin Sunday conditions was outstanding, but actually not as impressive as his pace on slicks on the drying track in Friday afternoon practice. That was a welcome reminder of his feel in such conditions. It’s not only Marc Marquez who the MotoGP pack should fear in those changeover moments - so many Miller highs have come in the same circumstances.
Before Austin, Miller sat down with Simon Patterson to answer questions from The Race Members’ Club for an exclusive podcast that’s now live on our Patreon. The first, from Rachel Hillman, invited him to “build the perfect MotoGP bike” from parts of all those he’d ridden so far. Given his speed this year, it’s no surprise he highlighted “turning and front feel from the Yamaha”. That feels like the kind of confidence-inducing trait that will let a rider express themselves fully.
But it was equally revealing that every other part of his jigsaw came from elsewhere - braking and agility from the KTM, engine, electronics and rear end from the Ducati, even the gearbox from the low-spec Honda he (understandably) hated at the start of his MotoGP career. The Yamaha is still a long way from being a decent all-round package.
The detail he went into in our interview on topics like that and everything from fatherhood to other Australian talent to escapades with Cal Crutchlow, and the time he was willing to take over each member’s question, spoke volumes about how relaxed and happy Miller seems back at Pramac and in his new role contributing to Yamaha’s turnaround.
Experienced across almost every other bike on the grid, quick, motivated, and dynamite in the kind of tricky conditions where an underdog manufacturer might need to snatch its results, Miller has started 2025 by reminding the world that - at his best - he’s exactly what Yamaha needs right now. And the odd shunt along the way can be excused when his overall contribution is so good. His factory MotoGP team days are probably done however much he impresses for Yamaha’s satellite, but given the equipment Pramac’s getting that might not actually make any difference to his results. It certainly hasn’t so far.
Pramac getting on the phone last summer now looks like a masterstroke.
