Jack Miller is back on the podium. A result he was missing since Barcelona. The Australian rider was often fast in practice but, in the race, the stars haven't been lining up for him these past few months. He couldn’t keep up with Bagnaia and Mir in Portimao, but he had a good duel with Alex Marquez, before the red flag gave him a third place.
“Pecco had a fantastic pace. When he overtook me at the first corner after the start, I knew immediately that he was going to push. And he did.” Jack complimented his teammate. “I, on the other hand, made a mistake at turn five, and Joan overtook me. At that point, I thought about managing the tires for the finale. With eight laps to go, I started pushing but, at turn seven, I lost the rear, and the same happened to Alex. At that point, I got ready to battle it out on the last lap. That would have been nice.”
It didn’t happen, but he still got a podium anyway, allowing him to celebrate the Ducati constructors title with Pecco.
“We had also succeeded last year,” he recalled. “It had been a team effort, not only thanks to Dovizioso’s and Petrucci’s results but also mine, Pecco’s, and Zarco’s. The nice thing about Ducati is that there are lots of us, and there’s always someone fast. We push each other, we can compare the data, and this makes us stronger.”
Miller would like to thank everyone at Borgo Panigale.
“We have a large group behind us,” he stressed. “For example, when news arrives, it has aalready been filtered upstream, and we also have young talents, such as Martin, Bastianini, and Marini. I’ve been with Ducati since 2017. I followed all the development and, from the bike I rode in my first test till today, it’s like going from day to night. We’ve always been the first in every innovation. The wings, the starting system, the one that lowers the rear. We continually push the limit further, and others have to follow us.”