Jack Miller “caught in the chaos”, Pramac “can‘t hide disappointment”

Jack Miller’s hopes of a strong COTA MotoGP Sprint were effectively over in the first few hundred metres.

While Fabio Quartararo surged from eleventh to fourth at the start, fellow Yamaha rider Miller went in the opposite direction.

Wheelspin off the line saw him drop from ninth to 13th - before a broken wing and an off-track moment compounded his struggles.

Miller eventually finished 14th.

“Unfortunately, at the start I spun the rear tyre too much, and it kept spinning all the way to Turn 1, where I found myself caught in the chaos,” Miller said.

“From that moment until the chequered flag, it was a tough battle with several contacts, one of which broke my right wing.

“Then, I ran wide when I got caught in another rider‘s slipstream, so I decided to take a longer line to avoid trouble.

“It‘s a shame because my race pace was strong, and the setup changes we made are working in the right direction, which gives me confidence.

“We‘re getting closer step by step. Now, we need a strong start tomorrow to fight at the front.”

Borsoi: "Disappointing result, but Miller had the pace"

Pramac team director Gino Borsoi admitted the result was especially frustrating given Quartararo’s performance - the Frenchman claiming Yamaha's best finish of the season in sixth.

“I can’t hide my disappointment because, after Jack’s strong qualifying performance, I expected a more competitive Sprint race, especially given Fabio Quartararo’s excellent showing, which proved that the YZR-M1 is competitive on this track,” Borsoi said.

“Jack had a similar pace to Quartararo all weekend, so our expectations were high. Unfortunately, a difficult start and a tough first-lap contact put Jack’s race on the back foot.

“Then, in his effort to recover, he made a mistake that ended any chance of fighting for points.

“It’s a shame because his pace in the second half of the race showed he had the potential for a strong result.

“Now, we are looking for a comeback in tomorrow’s Grand Prix, where a good start will be crucial.”

Augusto Fernandez's first MotoGP race for Yamaha

Miller’s stand-in team-mate Augusto Fernandez, riding in place of the injured Miguel Oliveira, finished 18th in his first MotoGP race as a Yamaha rider.

“It was a tough day, even more so because it was my first time on a dry track this weekend after the rain on Friday,” said former KTM rider Fernandez.

“My main focus is on gaining confidence with the M1, building it up session by session - or even lap by lap. There‘s a big difference between testing for development and actually racing in a Grand Prix weekend.

“I have to be patient, work on improving my speed consistently, and avoid mistakes. 

"While I can‘t expect outstanding results right now, I need to maximise my track time, complete the race, and gather as much data as possible. So far, that‘s exactly what I‘m doing.”