Breaking news
MotoGP Argentinian GP
Miller 'playing it by ear' with factory Ducati chances
Jack Miller says he's 'playing it by ear' when it comes to auditioning for a full factory Ducati seat in MotoGP in 2020, with his focus purely on results in the early part of this season.
Andrew van Leeuwen
Edited: Mar 29, 2019, 12:45 PM
Copy link
Share on Viber
The Australian was overlooked as Jorge Lorenzo's replacement for 2019 in favour of former Pramac teammate Danilo Petrucci, however the Italian's single-year deal means the seat is effectively up for grabs in 2020.
That's been communicated by Ducati sporting director Paolo Ciabatti as well, who earlier this year said the pressure was on Petrucci to prove he was the right choice for the ride.
With Miller and new Pramac teammate Francesco Bagnaia both in the frame for a potential promotion, Miller says early results in 2019 will be key, particularly after a bizarre seat issue proved so costly in Qatar.
In fact he reckons there's little more he can do, given the contract situation between the three Ducati riders in contention for the seat.
"Definitely," he said when asked if this weekend's Termas de Rio Hondo race will provide a good opportunity to prove himself worthy of a factory ride.
"We didn’t quite get to do that in Qatar but we need to do in the next couple [of races].
Asked about when he expected a decision to be made for 2020 he added: "It’s hard to say. Me, Pecco [Bagnaia] and Danilo pretty much have f**k all else[where] to go.
"It’s just between what they want to do with us. We just have to play it by ear, do the best job we can."
Talking about this weekend's Argentine GP, Miller is bullish about his chances of a podium, something he says he missed out on at the season-opener.
"I really felt we were on for a podium in Qatar, if you look at our pace all weekend," he said.
"I was sat behind [Andrea Dovizioso] absolutely smoking cigarettes, just cruising. The rear tyre… I was managing it quite well, even though the seat came off and I was having to turn it with the rear tyre the whole time.
"We’re in a good spot, I’ve had a really good couple of weeks at home, trying to forget about what happened in Qatar and what could have been, and just work on what’s gonna happen here and in Texas."
Additional reporting by Jamie Klein
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Honda brings Ducati-style winglet to Argentina
Next article Ducati: Appeal cost same as half of wind tunnel budget
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Andrew van Leeuwen
Toby Price explains 'unfortunate' Mitsubishi split
Dakar
Dakar
Dakar
Oct 13, 2023
Toby Price explains 'unfortunate' Mitsubishi split
Supercars parity review begins
Supercars
Supercars Oct 11, 2023
Supercars parity review begins
SRO set for bigger Australian GT presence
GT World Challenge Australia
GT World Challenge Australia Oct 11, 2023
SRO set for bigger Australian GT presence
More from
Jack Miller
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
MotoGP
Qatar GP
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
Jack Miller explains pitlane outburst: "We look like w***ers"
MotoGP
MotoGP
Malaysian GP
15 d
Jack Miller explains pitlane outburst: "We look like w***ers"
More from
Pramac Racing
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
MotoGP
MotoGP
Qatar GP
5 h
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
Toprak Razgatlioglu going through a "difficult time" after shoulder surgery
MotoGP
MotoGP
Malaysian GP
18 d
Toprak Razgatlioglu going through a "difficult time" after shoulder surgery
Jack Miller says Australian GP cancellation “tough to swallow”: “It is pissing me off”
MotoGP
MotoGP
Australian GP
21 d
Jack Miller says Australian GP cancellation “tough to swallow”: “It is pissing me off”
Latest news
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1 1 h
Retaining Liam Lawson isn't enough – Red Bull must stop treating him like a failure
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
MotoGP
MGP MotoGP
Qatar GP
5 h
Yamaha may not be competitive immediately in MotoGP's 850cc era, says Pramac
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
MotoGP
Qatar GP
You Ask The Questions: Jack Miller
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe