Exclusive - Jack Miller: Bagnaia, Marquez “fierce competitors, ultimate professionals”
“Thank God for Maverick getting that one over the line in Texas”
Joining MotoGP in 2015, Jack Miller spent his opening three seasons at Honda, where Marc Marquez was already established as HRC’s superstar rider.
The Spaniard had raised his title tally to four out of five by the time Miller switched to Ducati, where the Australian later spent three seasons as Francesco Bagnaia’s team-mate at Pramac and then Lenovo.
So how does Miller see the much-anticipated factory Ducati match-up of double Ducati champion Bagnaia and six-time Honda champion Marquez?
“I think they'll push each other extremely hard,” Miller told Crash.net.
“People are saying this, that and the other but at the end of the day both those boys are ultimate professionals, and they'll do a fantastic job regardless of who their team-mates are.
“So I don't think it'll be too much of an issue in terms of that. Obviously, I think they're still going to be fierce competitors, but they're fierce competitors as is already!
“All you’ve got to do is look back at the past couple of battles those two have had. They've been pretty full on!”
Bagnaia and Marquez clashed at last year’s Portimao Grand Prix before Bagnaia memorably beat the #93 to victory after a thrilling duel at Jerez.
Marquez, riding a year-old bike at Gresini, then got the better of Bagnaia for second in the final laps at Le Mans and finished third in the world championship behind the factory machines of Jorge Martin and Bagnaia.
“Thank God for Maverick getting that one over the line in Texas”
Marquez ending a 1000-day victory drought at Aragon, plus two further victories, put him among just five different GP winners last season.
Four of those were on Ducatis: Bagnaia (11), Martin (3), Marquez (3) and Enea Bastianini (2).
“Pecco hasn’t left too many for anybody else!” smiled Miller.
The only non-Desmosedici victory was by Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales as last season saw the lowest number of different winners since a pre-arm injury Marquez swept to his most recent titles in 2017-2019.
“It's hard to say exactly why,” commented Miller. “Clearly, Pecco, Jorge and Marc are all riding extremely well.
“Pecco and Martin obviously [by fighting for the championship] and then Marc on his day is phenomenal. And even when it's not his day, he'll push the f**king thing to the absolute limit!
“At least having [two] different manufacturers winning makes things a little bit more interesting. Thank God for Maverick getting that one over the line in Texas because she would have been a rather boring statistic otherwise!”
Miller, a Red Bull KTM rider for the last two seasons, takes on his fourth different brand of MotoGP machine by moving to the new factory-backed Pramac Yamaha project for 2025.
Different race winners per season in the MotoGP era:
2024: 5 (Bagnaia, Martin, M.Marquez, Bastianini, Vinales).
2023: 8 (Bagnaia, Martin, Bezzecchi, A.Espargaro, Zarco, di Giannantonio, Bastianini, Rins).
2022: 7 (Bagnaia, Bastianini, Quartararo, Rins, Oliveira, A.Espargaro, Miller).
2021: 8 (Quartararo, Bagnaia, M.Marquez, Miller, Binder, Martin, Vinales, Oliveira).
2020: 9 (Quartararo, Morbidelli, Mir, Rins, Vinales, Dovizioso, Oliveira, Binder, Petrucci).
2019: 5 (M.Marquez, Dovizioso, Vinales, Rins, Petrucci).
2018: 5 (M.Marquez, Dovizioso, Lorenzo, Vinales, Crutchlow).
2017: 5 (M.Marquez, Dovizioso, Vinales, Pedrosa, Rossi).
2016: 9 (M.Marquez, Lorenzo, Rossi, Crutchlow, Vinales, Dovizioso, Pedrosa, Iannone, Miller).
2015: 4 (Lorenzo, M.Marquez, Rossi, Pedrosa)
2014: 4 (M.Marquez, Rossi, Lorenzo, Pedrosa)
2013: 4 (Lorenzo, M.Marquez, Pedrosa, Rossi)
2012: 3 (Pedrosa, Lorenzo, Stoner)
800cc:
2011: 4 (Stoner, Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Spies)
2010: 4 (Lorenzo, Pedrosa, Stoner, Rossi)
2009: 5 (Rossi, Lorenzo, Stoner, Pedrosa, Dovizioso)
2008: 4 (Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa, Lorenzo)
2007: 5 (Stoner, Rossi, Pedrosa, Vermeulen, Capirossi)
990cc:
2006: 7 (Rossi, Capirossi, Melandri, Hayden, Pedrosa, Elias, Bayliss)
2005: 5 (Rossi, Melandri, Capirossi, Hayden, Barros)
2004: 4 (Rossi, Gibernau, Tamada, Biaggi)
2003: 4 (Rossi, Gibernau, Biaggi, Capirossi)
2002: 4 (Rossi, Biaggi, Barros, Ukawa)
Peter has been in the paddock for 20 years and has seen Valentino Rossi come and go. He is at the forefront of the Suzuki exit story and Marc Marquez’s injury issues.
