MILLER SUSPECTS ENGINE TROUBLE AS YAMAHA BECOMES UNRIDEABLE

Jack Miller’s difficult run with Yamaha continued at the Indonesian MotoGP, where he said his bike became almost “unrideable” and crashed from 17th place on lap five of Sunday’s race. The Australian suspects the problem may involve the engine, though he said the cause is not yet clear.

Miller had felt reasonably positive during the morning, but the situation changed when he went out in race trim. “I had a great feeling in the morning, or at least a reasonably good one. But as soon as we ride in race trim, the bike becomes almost unrideable,” he said. He struggled to slow the Yamaha, and said the engine was not behaving normally. “Something is happening in the background that makes riding this bike very difficult. We need to work even harder to find out what is causing it.”

Miller also highlighted Yamaha’s high fuel consumption, which forces riders to reduce performance over longer races. “Our fuel consumption is always too high – we have to think about that,” he said. He added that he could not brake or turn the bike properly: “As soon as I start pushing, the front wheel locks and I can’t do anything about it.”

Pramac Yamaha left Indonesia without points after team-mate Toprak Razgatlioglu withdrew because of his recently dislocated shoulder. Miller’s crash extended the team’s run without a points finish to four consecutive Grand Prix weekends.

Team director Gino Borsoi said expectations had risen after a promising start to Friday, with the team hoping to challenge for points. Razgatlioglu’s injury made the weekend harder, he said, while Miller’s crash was another setback. Borsoi added that the team had shown it could fight for points, but needed to work out why it was failing to convert that potential into results.

“We have to make a change, be more precise in our work and make sure we are doing everything possible to give both riders the opportunity to achieve the results we know are within reach,” Borsoi said.

Yamaha’s factory riders did score in the race: Fabio Quartararo finished ninth, while Alex Rins took 15th. Miller now heads to Phillip Island for his final MotoGP weekend in front of his home fans. The Australian Grand Prix will also be held there for the last time, with the event moving to Adelaide from 2027.