“MotoGP is brutally evolving” - KTM launch passionate defence of Jack Miller

Miller’s first season riding for the Austrian manufacturer yielded just a solitary MotoGP grand prix podium and he trailed teammate Brad Binder.

The popular Aussie also became a father midway through the year then, as Pedro Acosta’s emergence into the premier class became clearer, he was forced to swat away rumours that he might be ditched by KTM altogether.

"I have no explanation for this performance,” KTM boss Pit Beirer told Speedweek about Miller’s drab form at the end of 2023. 

“It's just a shame. Because Jack has made us better, he has opened up new ways for us with his way of working and with his way of setting up the bike. 

“In the beginning, he was the fastest KTM rider overnight. 

“Afterwards, Brad Binder benefited enormously from the work that Jack brought to the team. 

“And Jack couldn't profit from his own development work. He was just distracted in the summer.

"Starting a family in Australia in the middle of the season is perhaps something that doesn't leave a rider completely unscathed.

"But we've had Jack's back all year. Because we couldn't find any obvious faults, except that sometimes the front wheel slipped away. 

“Then you get into a spiral, because then the rider wants to prove something to us. It pushes even more and flies down even faster. 

“Once a MotoGP rider's confidence is at a premium, it becomes difficult. That's why Jack didn't have the highlights in the summer. 

“At the last three Grands Prix, actually with the switch to the carbon chassis, the bright spots came back again.

"Jack then did two decent races with 8th place in Sepang and 9th place in Doha.

“We built him up and brought him back to where he was in the spring in Valencia in terms of speed.

"But despite all the criticism of Jack, I would like to say that he has set faster lap times in most of the races in which he has been around tenth place in 2023 than in the 2022 season. 

“So it's not that he's had a slump that's never happened before, it's that the MotoGP field is just brutally evolving."

Miller’s season concluded by crashing out of the lead in Valencia.

KTM have big plans for their future, including increasing the quantity of their bikes in 2025.

This year, the prodigious Acosta begins with their Tech3 GASGAS team and is tipped for a huge future.

Marc Marquez is also continuously linked with a switch to KTM next year.

It all puts pressure onto Miller to keep his place.

"We want to fight for the world championship crown in 2024," Beirer warned.