Miller: We can be happy finishing 3.4secs off Marquez

Jack Miller says he can take pleasure from securing only the third MotoGP podium of his career at the end of an eye-catching Czech Republic MotoGP weekend as a whole at Brno.

Riding a current specification Ducati for the first time this year, Miller is already enjoying a strong season with the Pramac Racing team, but took another step forward in Brno by never straying outside the top three come rain or shine during free practice and qualifying,

It was a competitiveness he maintained in the race, running fourth for much of the 20 lap encounter before clawing his way back into podium contention at the expense of Alex Rins and his tyre-fading Suzuki.

A positive end to a strong weekend, Miller says the short gap to Marquez out front is also indicative of the strides made by himself and the team.

“To finish 3.4secs behind Marc, we can be happy with that,” he said. “It was a tricky race, I hadn’t used the hard all weekend but I had some graining with the mediums so I knew I had to go for hard.

“I had a moment up at Turn 5 and nearly went down, so almost gave up the chase on Rins. But I had been watching him the whole race and noticed he was spinning quite a bit more, then it got worse and worse. I could see up the hill with maybe five laps to go he was spinning right into the braking zone and I was catching him a lot, so I thought I’d just wait.

“I passed him into Turn 1 because he lost so much drive on the home straight, but typical Rins on the Suzuki, he is able to hold such a tight line – I tried to stop it and follow the kerb, but mid-way I heard him coming, so I stood up and waited for the next straight.

“I knew once I got ahead I’d be able to gap him because he was in trouble. Happy to be back here.”