Miller won’t know if arm surgery total success until Jerez

The Australian went under the knife in Barcelona last week, following the Doha GP, to have surgery on an arm pump issue which flared up during the second Qatar race.

Miller’s issue meant he emerged from the second round of the 2021 season in ninth, having finished in the same position in the Qatar GP as a result of a tyre issue.

The Ducati rider’s operation was deemed a success at the time and he hasn’t struggled with it so far during the Portuguese GP weekend.

However, he admits he won’t know if his arm pump issue has truly been resolved until he tests it through the fast right-hand corners at Jerez at the end of the month.

“I feel good, the arm is feeling good already even after the surgery pretty much directly,” Miller said on Friday after finishing practice fifth overall.

“I was able to do all the training I needed to do during the week.

“You never know until you get on the bike, but it feels really good, I feel powerful in my hand and there’s no ill-effects from that.

“I think I’m at 100%. But like I said in the lead up, we won’t really know if the surgery was a massive success, I don’t think, until we get to Jerez where it’s more right-handers.

“It’s the fast right-handers where I seem to struggle, but I’m happy to be here, happy to be healthy and you ride around this track with a massive smile on your face every time. It just feels mega to be here.”

Friday’s practices in Portugal were notable for the return of six-time MotoGP world champion Marc Marquez, who ended up 0.004 seconds away from Miller in sixth on the timesheets - admitting he 'didn't understand' his practice speed.

Miller admits seeing Marquez smile in his garage “made me smile” and believes his return will “elevate all of our levels”.

“We all know how extremely talented this guy is and the things he does on a motorcycle, you watch the session and you see him do some things and you think ‘how did he pull that off?’,” he said of Marquez.

“Even today, and I think he was riding with some margin today.

“For me it made me smile watching him smile in the garage, because you know how much this sport means to him and it means to all of us. It’s the thing we love and if you can’t do it for nine months, that would be not an easy thing.

“To see him back out there doing the thing he loves and the thing he’s best at is fantastic for all of us and I think it will elevate all of our level.”