Jack Miller: “Complete chaos” at Turn 1 of Argentine MotoGP Sprint

After missing out on a place in Qualifying 2 by just 0.078s, Jack Miller needed a strong start from 13th on the grid to score points in the Argentine MotoGP Sprint.

Although the Pramac Yamaha got off the line well, his progress was immediately hampered by congestion in the first turn.

"I got off to a decent start, but by the time I reached the first corner, there was complete chaos," Miller said.

"Bezzecchi started quite slow, losing positions, which created even more confusion as everyone tried to avoid him.

“So, it wasn’t an easy start to the Sprint race, but we managed to fight and recover a little bit."

Miller initially struggled with rear tyre temperature but caught and passed the Monster Yamaha of Alex Rins at mid-distance. But a big moment ended his chances of threatening Fabio Quartararo for top M1 honours.

“I struggled a bit in the beginning with the right side of the tyre, so I tried to bring the temperature up gradually,” Miller said.

“When I passed Alex (Rins), I thought I could push harder and pull away.

“The next four or five laps were quite good - I felt I was closing in on the group ahead - but then I had a big moment, and from that point on, my focus was just on finishing the race and gathering as much data as possible for tomorrow‘s Grand Prix.”

Miller ultimately crossed the line between the factory Yamaha riders, in eleventh.

“We definitely expected more today,” he said. “I believe our pace is better than we showed, and not making it into Q2 certainly didn‘t help.

“But it‘s not over until it‘s over - we‘ll try again tomorrow."

The Australian will be the only Pramac rider on Sunday’s grid after a shoulder injury for team-mate Miguel Oliveira.