Jack Miller is currently enduring a very difficult farewell season in MotoGP, with the Australian lamenting his “unrideable” Pramac-Yamaha MotoGP bike at the recent Indonesian Grand Prix.
The Australian crashed out of Sunday’s race at Mandalika on lap five, and wasn’t happy at all with the rideability of his Yamaha prototype all the way through the race weekend.
It was yet another torrid weekend for Pramac Racing, who also saw Toprak Razgatlioglu retire from the race a few laps later through discomfort due to a shoulder injury sustained on Saturday morning.
Speaking to the press after the race, Miller lamented Yamaha’s bike for being “unrideable”, while also sharing his theory on the “background” issues that have been causing his struggles.
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Jack Miller shares theory on Yamaha’s fuel maps rendering their M1 “unrideable”
The Pramac rider began his post-race statements by highlighting how encouraged he was by the balance of his M1 during the practice and warm-up sessions of the weekend.
When the prototype was put into race trim was when Miller’s problems started: “I had a great feeling this morning, or at least a reasonably good one. But as soon as we get into race trim, the bike becomes almost unrideable,” he said via Speedweek.
“Whether it’s the fuel mapping or whatever – there’s something going on in the background that makes riding this bike very difficult.
“I’m struggling to slow the bike down, and the engine isn’t behaving normally. We need to work harder to figure out what’s causing this.”
He then noted how the fuel consumption of Yamaha’s V4 continues to hinder him and his stablemates, demanding that the Iwata-based engineers address the problem as soon as possible.
“Our fuel consumption is always too high – we need to address this,” he continued. “I can’t brake the bike, I can’t turn it in.
“As soon as I start pushing, the front wheel locks up, and I can’t do anything about it. It is what it is. We’re going to Australia and we’ll see what we can achieve there.”
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The next round of racing in Phillip Island will mark Miller’s, and MotoGP’s, final appearance at the iconic circuit aboard premier-class machinery before both his and the race track’s exit from the sport at the end of the term.
Still, Miller’s move to World Superbike for 2027 will mean no time will be wasted before he’s back at the Victoria-based circuit. Next year’s WorldSBK campaign will open with Phillip Island, much to the 31-year-old’s satisfaction.
Source: MotoGP