JACK MILLER SAYS YAMAHA WAS “BURSTING” TO ANNOUNCE IZAN GUEVARA AFTER CONFIRMING HIS PRAMAC EXIT

Jack Miller says Yamaha’s communication around his Pramac exit felt like it was designed to clear the way for another announcement—specifically the promotion of Moto2 rider Izan Guevara to MotoGP with the Pramac team.

Yamaha confirmed last Thursday that Miller will leave Pramac at the end of the 2026 season, ending his MotoGP tenure after a long run in the class. Only about five hours later, Yamaha revealed that Guevara will ride for Pramac in 2027, a move Miller described as something Yamaha had been “bursting” to put out.

Miller believes the timing of the two announcements was the real surprise, even if the outcome itself had already been widely discussed in the paddock for months. He said Yamaha only informed him that they were confirming his departure from Pramac before they were ready to announce Guevara’s signing.

Speaking to Fox Sports Australia after arriving at MotorLand Aragon, Miller linked the announcement rush to the need for a press release. He also explained that his journey to the circuit was complicated by a vehicle problem, arriving “covered in diesel” after an issue with the intercooler. Despite the disruption, he focused on what he felt was Yamaha’s motivation behind the sequence of news.

“I’d just had all the timing belt and everything done in the van,” Miller said. “I don’t know what was going on, but it was blowing up on one side of the intercooler. I was covered in diesel by the time I got down here [to Aragon]. I had to keep disconnecting the intercooler hoses and try to limp it down here. I’ll have to limp it back home.”

Then, on Yamaha’s approach to the announcements, he added: “[Yamaha] needed to do a press release on their side, I guess, because they were bursting to put out some other news.”

The broader context, according to Miller, is that Yamaha had already indicated earlier that he was no longer part of their plans. The report notes that it had been reported back in May that Yamaha told Miller he was “surplus to requirements,” with the intention of promoting Guevara to Pramac.

For Miller, the end of his Pramac chapter brings mixed emotions. While he said he is grateful for the career he has had in MotoGP, he also described the moment as “strange,” because as a racer he always sets goals for what comes next.

“It’s a strange moment,” Miller said. “You’re grateful for the career I’ve had here in MotoGP. But at the same time sad because as an athlete, as a racer, you set goals out for yourself, and you’re always working for the next one. When you can’t achieve [those goals], it’s disappointing. But I’m grateful to have these last two years with the Pramac team, working with Yamaha, [and] proud of what we’ve done in the last two years.”

He also highlighted what he sees as the professional side of the situation: managing pressure across race weekends while working on development for two motorcycles.

“So, I’m sad, but proud of the job I’ve done,” Miller continued. “And while I’m here, we’ve got a lot more racing to do this year.”

Miller’s MotoGP journey began in 2015, when he moved up from Moto3 to the premier class after Honda secured him on a multi-year factory contract with LCR. Over 212 MotoGP starts, he has four Grand Prix wins and two pole positions, along with 23 podiums—his most recent podium coming at the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix at Jerez with KTM.

The report also recalls that Miller’s career included factory stints with Ducati and KTM, and that he won his first MotoGP race at Assen in 2016 after switching from LCR to Marc VDS. In 2021 and 2022, he recorded three of his MotoGP wins with KTM, including two in 2021 and one in 2022.

As for what comes after MotoGP, the report states that with no MotoGP seats left for him, Miller is said to have already signed a contract with Yamaha’s World Superbike team for 2027.