Jack Miller ‘kicking myself’ about points lost, MotoGP 2023 ‘like last year on steroids’
The new Red Bull KTM signing was fast in practice and qualifying, then feat🐬ured at the sharp end in both races.
But his Sprint challenge ended with a fall on lap 2 then, after lead♐ing the early stages of the grand prix, Miller slid out of seventh place💖.
Three other riders ahead of Miller in the world championship also crashed out - title leader Francesco Bagnaia, Luca Marini and Maverick Vinales - on a day when just 13 ride𒈔rs reached the finish.
The returning Marc Marquez was the final addi🧜tion to that DNF list. Add in a Sprint fall for Yamaha’s former champion Fabio Quartararo and only five riders managed to score in both Le Mans race💝s: Jorge Martin (32), Marco Bezzecchi (28), Johann Zarco (20), Brad Binder (19) and Aleix Espargaro (13).
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“More than anything, points,” Miller said of his main frustrationไ after the race. “We're not that far back [45 points] from the lead. And on a day when a lot of guys, including Pecco and Vinales, scored zero as well, it could have been a really good day for points. And we didn't take any, so kicking myself about that.”
Five different riders have taken victory in the ten races so far, w🐼ith Miller among the eleven riders to stand on the podium. No one has scored points in every race, with🍃 Bagnaia leading despite three Sunday DNFs.
“We're [only] five [rou👍nds] in and we🎉've seen f**king everything!” Miller said of the roller-coaster fortunes throughout the grid. “As you know, this championship will continue like this. This year is like last year on steroids.
“Everybody's so competitive, we see guys one week strugg🐷ling, the next week they're riding away from everybody.
“So it's a tough one to gꦐauge and honestly a tough one to understand who - obviously Pecco - but who else are your real [title] contenders.”
‘If the rider is not feeling 98%, it's a shit day’
“It's a🍌 knife edge, this championship. Everybo💃dy is so good, all the bikes are so competitive, if the rider is not feeling 98%, then it's a shit day,” Miller explained. “Really, if feels like that. I can't explain it.
“The championship's in great form, as you'🐻ve seen there's some great racing. OK, the꧑re's a lot more contacts, and there's this and that. But it's all a part of it. Everybody's under so much pressure. So much to gain and lose. It's nice to be a part of it.”
Bagnaia fought back from 91 points down, and overcame five DNFs, to catch and pass Fabio Quartಌara🍰ro for the 2022 title.
While the 2023 calendar agai🦩n features 20 rou𒅌nds, the addition of the Saturday Sprint race means 37 points are now available each weekend, rather than the previous 25.
Miller’s team-ma🎃te Brad Binder is the leading KTM rider in the world championship, 13 points from Bagꦯnaia, in third.
Peter has been 𝔉in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the f♒orefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
