{"id":528319,"date":"2026-03-09T06:59:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T06:59:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/528319\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T06:59:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T06:59:08","slug":"jack-miller-and-yamaha-updates-senna-agius-gets-lucky-break-marc-marquez-fabio-quartararo-rider-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/528319\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Miller and Yamaha updates, Senna Agius gets lucky break, Marc Marquez, Fabio Quartararo, rider market"},"content":{"rendered":"

The good news for Australian MotoGP rider Jack Miller is that, with less than a fortnight before the sport returns to Brazil for the first time in over two decades, things are unlikely to be worse for Yamaha than they were in the season-opener<\/a> in Thailand earlier this month.<\/p>\n

Every MotoGP qualifying, practice and race LIVE and ad-break free from lights out to the chequered flag. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today ><\/p>\n

The bad? Better times still might be a while away for the 31-year-old premier-class stalwart, with the upgrades Yamaha desperately needs to get on par with Honda and KTM in the midfield \u2013 let alone Aprilia and Ducati up front \u2013 still some way away, the Japanese manufacturer likely to be stuck in an unwanted class of one at the back of the pack for the next few races. <\/p>\n

Elsewhere, a MotoGP rookie used the wise words \u2013 and some hardware \u2013 from a living legend to get through his first weekend in the top flight, while Aussie rising Moto2 star Senna Agius got a slice of good fortune after his maiden pole position in Buriram was squandered with a technical gremlin, a crash and a lowly race finish. <\/p>\n

There\u2019s that and more in MotoGP Pit Talk, your news wrap of the stories behind the headlines ahead of the next round in Goiania from March 20-22. <\/p>\n

‘What on earth happened to Marquez!?’ | 01:14<\/p>\n

\u2018I DON\u2019T WANT TO GO CRAZY\u2019: YAMAHA QUARTET TO WAIT MONTHS FOR RELIEF<\/p>\n

Yamaha\u2019s wretched weekend in Thailand \u2013 where none of 2021 world champion Fabio Quartararo, six-time race-winner Alex Rins, four-time MotoGP victor Miller and new Pramac Yamaha teammate and reigning World Superbikes champion Toprak Razgatlioglu could qualify or finish any higher than 14th place \u2013 was a brutal reality check for the former MotoGP giant, which has abandoned its traditional inline-four engine configuration for a switch to V4 machinery this season. <\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

YAMAHA BOTTOMS OUT<\/a> Inside Thailand weekend from hell, and how the tide turns<\/p>\n

THAILAND TALKING POINTS<\/a> Winner\u2019s historic hat-trick, \u2018exploded\u2019 tyre stops Marquez<\/p>\n

Speaking at Buriram, Quartararo \u2013 who finished 14th in the Grand Prix to scrape into the points only after three riders ahead of him were forced into retirement \u2013 said it may take until after round five in his native France for Yamaha to bring any engine upgrades to the track to bridge the gap to MotoGP\u2019s other four manufacturers. <\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know when it will be, but I know that at least in Le Mans we will not have a new engine,\u201d Quartararo said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not 100 per cent sure, but for Brazil, USA and Qatar, we will not have any [upgrades].\u201d <\/p>\n

The layout of the 12-turn Buriram track \u2013 where the first and second sectors of the 4.55km circuit are almost entirely comprised of long straights \u2013 exposed Yamaha\u2019s lack of grunt relative to its rivals, Quartararo and his stablemates routinely haemorrhaging more than 10km\/h in a straight line. Rins had a top speed of 330.2km\/h in the race, well shy of the fastest rider through the speed trap, Ducati\u2019s Marc Marquez (339.6km\/h). <\/p>\n

The upcoming tracks in Brazil and Texas \u2013 outside of the Circuit of the Americas\u2019 lengthy back straight \u2013 should punish Yamaha\u2019s riders less, and the likely cancellation of round four in Qatar scheduled for April 10-12 due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East will offer some relief for Yamaha, given the Lusail Circuit\u2019s monstrous 1.068km front straight. <\/p>\n

Yamaha took the highly unusual decision to bar its riders from speaking to the media after the Thai GP, where Quartararo (14th, 30.823secs behind race-winning Aprilia rider Marco Bezzecchi) was the best of a bad lot, Rins (15th, 32.955secs), Razgatlioglu (17th, 39.194secs) and a free-falling Miller (18th, 47.848secs) even further behind. <\/p>\n

PIT TALK PODCAST: Renita and Matt break down the opening Grand Prix of 2026 in Thailand, explain why Aprilia and Marco Bezzecchi have become MotoGP\u2019s benchmark, and wonder what\u2019s next for Jack Miller after Yamaha\u2019s shocker at Buriram. Listen to Pit Talk below.<\/p>\n

Miller\u2019s woes were as much tyre-related as engine-caused \u2013 \u201cthe tyre was completely worn in the centre, and on the straights I couldn\u2019t use more than about one-quarter throttle,\u201d he said, via a team press release \u2013 but the amount of work Yamaha has to tackle to even catch up to the back of the midfield was plain to see.<\/p>\n

Quartararo, who is set to move to Honda next year in a deal that has reportedly been agreed but yet to be announced, admitted earlier in the Thailand weekend that he\u2019s in self-preservation mode. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think I was a bit too optimistic [before the season] about the potential of the bike,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know what the potential is. I don\u2019t want to go crazy and make some mistakes, especially for my image [which] I think is the most important. I try to take everything more easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

All time Sprint battle controversial end | 01:43<\/p>\n

ROOKIE GETS HELPING HAND FROM REIGNING CHAMP<\/p>\n

Thailand MotoGP debutant Diogo Moreira has revealed he used a spare set of gloves from reigning and seven-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez for his opening race at Buriram, last year\u2019s Moto2 champion forced into a late switch of equipment before his impressive opening taste of the premier class. <\/p>\n

MORE MOTOGP NEWS<\/p>\n

RACE REPORT <\/a> Italian makes amends as champ has scary retirement<\/p>\n

THE SHOWMAN AND THE QUICK KID<\/a> The link between MotoGP\u2019s rookie odd couple<\/p>\n

Honda\u2019s Moreira, Brazil\u2019s first MotoGP rider since Alex Barros in 2007<\/a>, came through a searing test of endurance in baking-hot conditions to qualify 15th and finish in the points in 13th in his first Grand Prix, a tick over four seconds and two places behind LCR Honda teammate and the oldest rider in the field, 35-year-old French veteran Johann Zarco. <\/p>\n

In a sponsor appearance for Estrella Galicia in Madrid, the 21-year-old \u2013 who regularly trains with Marquez and his younger sibling, the 2025 MotoGP runner-up Alex Marquez \u2013 said the elder Marquez came to the rescue in Thailand, confirming he\u2019d used a spare pair of his gloves for the race.<\/p>\n

\u201cMine didn\u2019t fit me well so yes, I used them \u2013 I asked him for them,\u201d Moreira said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI said \u2018let\u2019s see if they help me gain a couple of seconds\u2019 \u2026 I really enjoy training with him, it has always been a dream to train with Marc or Alex. I try to learn what I can, and he always helps me a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreira admitted he was taken aback by the intensity of the 13-lap sprint race in Thailand, but felt he learned a lot in the full 26-lap, 40-minute Grand Prix. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe other riders started more calmly, and it was good for me as I learned a lot behind Zarco,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cAt some point I was alone \u2026 after 12 laps the tyre degradation was significant, but it was still a positive race for me. We\u2019ve started the season with high motivation, and this is a learning process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Moreira will be the star attraction when MotoGP races in his home country for the first time since July 2004 in Rio de Janeiro when the sport visits the Autodromo Internacional Ayrton Senna, named after Brazil\u2019s three-time F1 champion, for the next round.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor sure it will be busy, we go one week before to make the media time, but I\u2019m really excited to be there and race on that track,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI will need to be focused, and I will try to make well the weekend \u2013 I think we can do it.\u201d <\/p>\n

The next Brazilian MotoGP star? | 06:45<\/p>\n

AUSSIE GETS SLIVER OF GOOD NEWS AFTER HEARTBREAK<\/p>\n

Australian Moto2 rising star Senna Agius will enter the next round in Brazil with less of a deficit to the top of the standings after the FIM, motorcycling\u2019s governing body, admitted to awarding the incorrect championship points in Thailand because of a scoring \u201cerror\u201d. <\/p>\n

New South Welshman Agius came into the season with high hopes for the Liqui Moly Dynavolt Intact GP team after winning two Grands Prix in 2025, including a dominant victory at his home race at Phillip Island last October<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 20-year-old took his first Moto2 pole position in Buriram, but an ongoing problem from his Kalex\u2019s electronic control unit saw him fall through the pack in the 22-lap race before his bike slowed and was struck by the trailing machine of Colombian rider David Alonso, Czech rider Filip Salac also going down in an ugly incident that caused a red flag and the race to be restarted. <\/p>\n

Agius had to take the restart from pit lane after his bike was repaired, but the resumed race was red-flagged again after a first-lap crash involving Italian rider Luca Lunetta and Spanish rival Sergio Garcia. <\/p>\n

A third attempt at completing the race over seven laps was successful, with Agius\u2019 teammate and 2025 championship runner-up Manu Gonazlez emerging victorious and awarded 25 world championship points, Agius failing to score after crossing the line in 18th place. <\/p>\n

Full world championship points are only awarded if a race has completed two-thirds of its original distance. A FIM statement one week after the race conceded an error had been made in the race\u2019s timekeeping, as the second race start that was aborted before one lap had been completed was erroneously added to the total lap count. <\/p>\n

\u201cUnder normal circumstances, race control software issues a prompt indicating that 50 per cent of original race distance has not been completed in order to award half points,\u201d the statement read. <\/p>\n

\u201cDue to the multiple starts that took place at the Grand Prix of Thailand, the single lap completed on the second start, which should have been null and void, was incorrectly added to the overall race distance. In accordance with the sporting regulations, the race distance actually completed requires half points to be awarded.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than trail his teammate by 25 points heading to the next round in Brazil, Agius now has a 12.5-point deficit to chase after a weekend that unravelled through no fault of his own.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will throw this Sunday in the rubbish and start afresh in Brazil,\u201d Agius said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are taking a lot of strengths away from this weekend, so we will quickly put this behind us because things happened today that we could not control.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The good news for Australian MotoGP rider Jack Miller is that, with less than a fortnight before the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":528320,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[572],"tags":[250687,2095,1724,64,63,689,262596,11308,158017,94247,262595,262579,262585,262577,21773,156368,256846,262591,2057,16230,33112,84717,2105,14211,262597,36653,29973,84708,262592,262578,168895,101334,3555,16241,15612,233902,99277,262581,70689,2557,262587,4280,16268,262584,806,805,803,804,262586,262583,2041,2067,677,256843,10734,2119,36328,262593,16280,262582,262589,99083,16260,262580,18895,23050,122761,25613,37214,53238,256834,33195,105594,6952,11298,2812,3595,2020,146838,262590,85,22764,50180,262594,3370,3725,262598,23899,262588,24576,2614,12000,88825],"class_list":{"0":"post-528319","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-motosport","8":"tag-alex-barros","9":"tag-america","10":"tag-asia","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","14":"tag-baking-hot-conditions","15":"tag-brazil","16":"tag-brazilian-grand","17":"tag-championship-points","18":"tag-championship-runner-up","19":"tag-colombian-rider","20":"tag-czech-rider","21":"tag-david-alonso","22":"tag-dominant-victory","23":"tag-electronic-control-unit","24":"tag-epic-sprint","25":"tag-estrella-galicia","26":"tag-europe","27":"tag-fabio-quartararo","28":"tag-first-lap-crash","29":"tag-french-veteran","30":"tag-getty-images-inc","31":"tag-grands-prix","32":"tag-grunt-relative","33":"tag-helping-hand","34":"tag-home-country","35":"tag-home-race","36":"tag-impressive-opening-taste","37":"tag-incorrect-championship-points","38":"tag-inline-four-engine-configuration","39":"tag-italian-rider","40":"tag-jack-miller","41":"tag-japanese-manufacturer","42":"tag-johann-zarco","43":"tag-lap-count","44":"tag-learning-process","45":"tag-luca-lunetta","46":"tag-lucky-break","47":"tag-madrid","48":"tag-maiden-pole-position","49":"tag-marc-marquez","50":"tag-matt-clayton","51":"tag-media-time","52":"tag-motor","53":"tag-motor-sports","54":"tag-motosport","55":"tag-motosports","56":"tag-multiple-starts","57":"tag-news-wrap","58":"tag-north-america","59":"tag-northern-america","60":"tag-oceania","61":"tag-one-quarter-throttle","62":"tag-pedro-acosta","63":"tag-pit-talk","64":"tag-podium-finish","65":"tag-points-heading","66":"tag-pole-position","67":"tag-positive-race","68":"tag-premier-class-stalwart","69":"tag-province-of-madrid","70":"tag-qatar","71":"tag-qualifying-practice","72":"tag-race-distance","73":"tag-race-finish","74":"tag-race-report","75":"tag-race-start","76":"tag-rider-market","77":"tag-rio-de-janeiro","78":"tag-rookie-odd-couple","79":"tag-season-opener","80":"tag-self-preservation-mode","81":"tag-sergio-garcia","82":"tag-south-america","83":"tag-south-eastern-asia","84":"tag-southern-europe","85":"tag-spain","86":"tag-speed-trap","87":"tag-sponsor-appearance","88":"tag-sports","89":"tag-sprint-race","90":"tag-statement-read","91":"tag-team-press","92":"tag-texas","93":"tag-thailand","94":"tag-tide-turns","95":"tag-toprak-razgatlioglu","96":"tag-traditional-inline-four-engine","97":"tag-tyre-degradation","98":"tag-united-states-of-america","99":"tag-western-asia","100":"tag-world-championship-points"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528319","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=528319"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/528319\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/528320"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=528319"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=528319"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=528319"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}