Jack Miller on Alex Rins’ big move: “When that factory seat comes knocking…”

Rins will exit LCR Honda and move alongside Fabio Quartararo as one of Yamaha’s two riders for the 2024 season, his second factory role after representing Suzuki only last season.

Miller, who was also a satellite Honda rider until moving to Ducati in 2018, then landing their factory seat in 2021, appreciates the lure of one of MotoGP’s more prestigious bikes.

Asked if he understood Rins’ decision having done similarly, Miller said: “To a degree. But, I mean, the situations were different.

“I was a B-customer with the [Marc VDS Racing Team]. Then the first year at LCR was completely different.

“I saw how they were with Cal Crutchlow. They were very open, they used him quite a considerable amount in terms of testing and giving him parts.

“But when that factory seats comes knocking…

“You don’t often get two bites at the apple, going from a factory to a satellite team then getting another chance at a factory.

“So when that opportunity arose I assume he grabbed it with both hands.”

Miller and Brad Binder, KTM’s factory duo, have been the riders to most consistently threaten the dominant Ducatis this season.

This weekend at the British MotoGP, Miller returns to the scene where he scored a podium finish on a Ducati last year.

“It’s probably one of the better ones on the calendar,” he said about the Silverstone circuit.

“You can never get the perfect set-up here because there are hard-braking zones and fast-flowing corners.

“When it’s like that, like Jerez, we’re better-off. Not too much load on the front, hard braking on the straight. When you don’t need the perfect set-up, it’s better for us.”

New rules have been brought in to begin from this weekend, including regarding tyre pressure.

The Tyre Pressure Monitoring System will give a first-time offender a warning, before a three-second time penalty for a second offence, a six-second time penalty for a third offence, and a 12-second time penalty for a fourth offence.

“I know, from the Ducati, that it was more critical. I don’t notice it as much on the KTM,” Miller said.

“Chatting to the engineers and understanding their feedback, I had concern when I heard about the rules and penalties. They were reassuring, they said ‘don’t worry about it’. Fingers crossed, they are right.

“We should be inside that window, no dramas.

“I know that the Ducati functioned well on low tyre pressure, whereas ours doesn’t. The KTM uses the front tyre in a different way.

“Having it so low doesn’t give us the benefit.

“We’ll have to wait and see how much it affects the other bikes.”