MILLER APOLOGISES AFTER PRAMAC MISCOMMUNICATION RUINS SEPANG SPRINT GAMBLE

Jack Miller’s decision to pit as rain began during Saturday’s Sepang MotoGP Sprint ended in frustration when his second Pramac bike was not ready with wet-weather tyres. The Australian arrived at the garage to find it still on its stand, and his anger was plain. Fans online said they had rarely, if ever, seen him so furious.

Rain spots appeared on the opening lap, prompting the white flag and allowing riders to switch bikes. Miller, running 17th, chose to gamble on the change, but the delay at his pit box cost him too much time. He eventually retired, unable to recover enough ground for the move to be worthwhile. The heavier rain arrived only after the chequered flag, although Joan Mir, Iker Lecuona, Franco Morbidelli and Maverick Viñales also came in as conditions worsened.

Miller said he spotted drops at Turns 5 and 6, then at Turns 7 and 8 and Turns 9 and 10, areas he said tend to get wet first when rain comes from that direction. Although the radar suggested rain would arrive later, he believed the next lap would be wet. With points looking unlikely from 17th or 18th, he felt the risk was justified. “In my mind, the timing was right, and I genuinely thought we had a chance to make something happen with that decision,” he said.

The second bike, however, was not ready. Miller said he had discussed having it prepared before the race, but he and the team had understood the timing differently: he expected it to be ready immediately, while the crew thought they had another four or five laps. “By the time I realised the tyres hadn’t even been changed, I knew the race was over,” he said.

Television captured Miller shouting and gesticulating at his crew, including crew chief Giacomo Guidotti. He later said he had apologised to the team. Explaining the outburst, Miller said: “We look like w***ers.” He also accepted responsibility for the call, saying: “It was on me,” and added that he would not have pitted unless he believed it was the right decision.

Pramac team director Gino Borsoi said the crew had been preparing the second bike for wet conditions and it would have been ready a lap later. He acknowledged that Miller had been eager to take the chance, while the team could perhaps have prepared the bike a little faster, though there was limited room to do so. “The timing was crucial, and the outcome was not what any of us wanted,” Borsoi said.