Miller: Every guy that passed, I knew where they were in championship

Jack Miller admits the 2020 MotoGP World Championship is playing a little on his mind, saying he knew exactly where every rider that swept past him in the San Marino MotoGP was in the title race.

The 2020 MotoGP title fight took another unusual twist in round six at Misano after leader Fabio Quartararo failed to finish, promoting Andrea Dovizioso into the lead despite the factory Ducati rider finishing well down in seventh position.

Even Miller, who ran third initially before fading to eighth with tyre issues, was one of the beneficiaries overall as he consolidated his third overall, just 12 points shy of the top spot. However, he is also just 16 points ahead of Miguel Oliveira in tenth.

He admits the title fight is playing on his mind because no one rider is able to take the grasp of the opportunities and stretch the advantage. However, he expects this to change soon, even if he himself anticipates Misano II will be tough for him again. 

“Everyone is getting more consistent now I think and the double-up weekends doesn't make it any easier. But I knew, every guy that went past, I understood where they were in the championship. It's going through your mind. 

“But the ideal thing is you want to beat all these guys so we'll keep plugging away. I think next weekend will be a difficult weekend again but we need to try and find a little more speed and challenge for the top 5 and come out of here with  the maximum points we can.”

Running with the leaders again after a typically strong start on the Pramac Ducati - which Quartararo called a ‘rocket launcher’ off the line - Miller couldn’t sustain the pace as rear tyre concerns dropped him back.

However, he shrugged off suggestions his aggressive riding style was to blame, saying he is normally one of the most protective of his rear tyres in the Ducati fold.

“Normally I'm one of the best on the rear tyre especially,” he continued. “Like in the last grands prix we've finished the race with more rear tyre than all the other Ducatis so it's kind of a shock that we've been having this problem all weekend long. 

“Normally we're one of the best, Pecco is maybe a little bit better but he runs a really round line and doesn't really open the gas too much. So his tyre gets more worn or he spends more time on the edge but he doesn't use the tyre with the acceleration so much. 

“Whereas all the rest of the Ducatis we seem to have a similar style. I'm one of the best with the throttle traces, spin levels everything like that. That's why it's shocked me a little bit.”