Miller: Victory ‘on offer, but she got away from me’

The KTM rider had been just ninth in the Saturday Sprint race but came out fighting in the main event, blasting from tenth on the grid to third on the opening lap.

Miller then settled in ‘comfortably’ behind former Ducati team-mate Francesco Bagnaia and eventual winner Alex Rins, and felt the leaders were coming back towards him once the tyre grip had peaked.

But a slightly different line through turn six then overloaded the front of his RC16 and he slid off on lap 7 of 20.

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“Not what we wanted,” said Miller, who was among ten fallers in Sunday’s race. “We were there having a red-hot crack at it. The bike was working pretty decent, I was able to reel [Bagnaia and Rins] in each lap in that Sector 2.

“I was just sort of settled in, had swapped the maps over probably 2 laps prior. I felt pretty comfortable and those other boys were starting to come back to me. Their pace was starting to rise just a little bit once the tyres got to the point where we needed to start nursing them.

“Checking the data, I did hold a tighter [line] in turn six beforehand, and then as I changed [direction], I sort of paused on the change before putting it in there because I was coming from a bit wider.

“Then [the team] think it sort of loaded the rear and when she's unloaded it’s put a little bit more on the front. So that could have had something to do with it. That's all it takes around here.

“Once it tucked, I held it on the elbow there for a bit, but there's no saving it. It is what it is. We were competitive today. We have decent pace there with those other boys. I felt comfortable but she got away from me.

“This track’s slippery and it's unforgiving. You had to ride with that little bit of margin and it looked like Rins was able to do that throughout the weekend.”

With Bagnaia crashing out shortly after, not only does Miller feel he could have held on to take a first KTM podium, but possibly even the race victory.

“I felt honestly the victory was on offer today, because of the way this thing holds [saves] the rear tyre,” explained Miller, who set what would be the third fastest lap of the race, behind Rins and Bagnaia, on lap 5. 

“Those other boys, especially through the long right-hander, were kind of pulling away from me in the beginning of the race. But they were quite on and off the gas through there and pushing the rear a lot, whereas I was kind of conservative. Just keeping partial throttle, holding a tighter line and waiting until the end to ‘braaap’ into the next corner.

“And then honestly after 5 laps their 'system' wasn't working anymore and I was actually starting to gain time back in that sector.

“Even off the slower corners, my bike was managing the tyre a bit better. Rins was starting to spin a bit more than I was in acceleration, so I really felt we were on for a good shout today.

“But we're all going to say that aren't we, when we land in the gravel trap after 7 laps!”

With Miller and then Bagnaia crashing out, LCR Honda's Rins went on to take victory from Luca Marini (VR46 Ducati) and Fabio Quartararo (Yamaha).

Team-mate Brad Binder also fell, from eighth place on lap 10, remounting to finish 13th and last.