Jack Miller’s debut Yamaha season finished as it had started – by taking the chequered flag as the top M1 rider in Sunday\u2019s Valencia MotoGP finale.<\/p>\n
The Australian, the leading Yamaha at the Thai Grand Prix opener, bounced back from Saturday\u2019s penalty controversy to run as high as sixth.<\/p>\n
But severe wheelspin punished his rear tyre and Miller slipped to ninth by the chequered flag.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a good race, even though I suffered from having to push too much to stay with the guys,\u201d Miller<\/a> said. \u201cIn turns 1, 2, 6 and up to 8 the tyre was spinning massively, but you can\u2018t sacrifice anything there because the others aren\u2018t, and they\u2018re gaining.<\/p>\n \u201cSo we\u2018re spinning more than the others, with less acceleration. I tried to manage the left-hand side of the tyre on entry and control the way I was carrying the speed, but in the end, with ten laps to go, the tyre gave up and I was just bleeding time, trying to survive. We know the issues.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Sunday also marked the final MotoGP outing for Yamaha\u2019s Inline4 M1, with the manufacturer confirming a switch to the V4 for 2026.<\/p>\n Miller believes the transition will be smoother than the adjustment he made from KTM – with its carbon-fibre chassis and WP suspension – to this year\u2019s Yamaha.<\/p>\n \u201cNow we\u2018ll put this [Inline] bike in the cellar and start working on the new one to see what we can do. It won\u2018t be as big a step as the one I had during the year, going from what I knew [before] to this bike,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cOver the season we\u2018ve been up and down – some good highlights and some decent lowlights too – but in the last couple of races, since Australia, we\u2018ve managed to understand the front end a bit more.<\/p>\n \u201cMaybe we lost a little in terms of outright performance, but we gained good feedback in stability and in managing the tyre. Now I understand this bike more and more.<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n \u201cNext year\u2018s [V4] bike will be different, but the DNA is the same.\u201d<\/p>\n Miller finished the season just 17th in the world championship, but as the second-best Yamaha behind Fabio Quartararo (ninth). Quartararo crashed out of eleventh in the closing stages of the Valencia MotoGP.<\/p>\n Miguel Oliveira a “fantastic rider”, “excited to see” what Toprak can do<\/p>\n Sunday was also the final MotoGP<\/a> race for Miller\u2019s Pramac<\/a> team-mate Miguel Oliveira<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cFinally, let me say goodbye and thank you to Miguel, who raced his last MotoGP race today. He has been a fantastic rider for this sport, and we\u2018ve shared great times together, as we\u2018ve been racing each other since we were kids,\u201d Miller said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2018s sad to see him leave the paddock, but I\u2018m looking forward to seeing his journey in Superbike. And I\u2018m ready to start working with Toprak: he\u2018s another fantastic rider, and I\u2018m excited to see what he can do.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT<\/p>\n