MILLER HOPES FOR RAIN AS QUARTARARO MAKES Q2 AND OGURA MISSES OUT AT MOTEGI

Jack Miller is hoping Motegi’s fresh asphalt and a changeable forecast can help Yamaha bounce back from a miserable Austrian Grand Prix. At Spielberg, the Pramac rider finished last in both the sprint and the main race. He expects Japan to offer a better opportunity, though he knows the circumstances are different from the occasions when he has enjoyed success there.

“The track looks incredible. It has new asphalt, so that should be good. I love riding here in Motegi and I have some good memories,” Miller said before the weekend. “The forecast looks a little unsettled. Hopefully it rains on Saturday and Sunday and we can put together a decent weekend. If not, we’ll give it everything and see what we can achieve.” He added that Yamaha should be capable of a solid result, “much better than the damn last one.”

Rain would suit Miller, who has often shown strong form in wet conditions. He also sees potential in Motegi’s layout, despite its several straights: “They’re not particularly long.” He said the Yamaha brakes well and turns in effectively, and believes it can perform if the team finds grip. The main uncertainties, he noted, are how the new surface behaves and whether the tyres last. In wet conditions, he expects plenty of grip.

Michelin has brought a hard tyre option to Motegi, but Miller was emphatic about his preference. “That’s not an option. If we had to use that tyre, I’d pack my things and go home,” he joked, before clarifying that the remark was sarcastic—“but at the same time, not really.”

Fabio Quartararo, meanwhile, is taking a measured approach after Austria, where he qualified ninth but finished 12th in the sprint and 17th in the Grand Prix. He had said he had “no idea” how Yamaha would fare in Japan, with Friday’s target being a direct Q2 place. He achieved that minimum goal, ending Friday’s time practice seventh. “The most important thing was to get that one lap done,” he said. “That lap was great. I made a few mistakes, but I think we got the best out of it. We also had pretty good pace today.”

Quartararo said the new asphalt was delivering more grip, helping Yamaha especially over one lap. “The grip changes everything on the bike!” he said, noting that without it the team knows where it stands on a circuit similar to the Red Bull Ring. But he rejected the idea that Friday’s speed would translate into race competitiveness: “It will be difficult because we are missing a lot from the engine.” For now, he said, results are not his focus: “I just want to have fun and try to get the maximum out of the bike.”

Home rider Ai Ogura, by contrast, missed the direct Q2 cut, ending Friday 15th. He did finish ahead of reigning race winner Pecco Bagnaia, but will have to go through Q1 on Saturday. Trackhouse teammate Raul Fernandez was 13th. Ogura said his day was poor, with the front wheel repeatedly locking under heavy braking. His second bike felt much like the first, which he had to park near the end of the start-finish straight after an engine failure. Oil from the Aprilia caused a roughly ten-minute practice stoppage while the track was cleaned.

Ogura said the new asphalt had not made a major difference to him, although he expected lap times to be faster across the classes. He also said racing before his home crowd did not bring extra pressure, but left him less time for his usual routines. “It was not impossible” to reach Q2, he said, “but I ended up in Q1, and that says it all.”