Can Jack keep Ducati dream alive?
This will be a pivotal year in the career of Jack Miller. Before the racing has even started, the lovable Aussie seems, to some, destined to lose his factory Ducati ride to Jorge Martin, Enea Bastianini or another one of Ducati’s super-fast youngsters at the end of the season.
With a new contract already signed by teammate Pecco Bagnaia to stay at Ducati for the next two years, there’s no hiding from the fact that Miller will have a lot of pressure on his shoulders heading into round one.
Let’s not forget though, this is Jack Miller. He’s one of the biggest characters on the grid and absolutely will not go down without a fight. Last year he secured his first two victories in the red of Ducati, his first MotoGP successes in the dry, and finished fourth overall – a career best finish. On paper, that’s not bad at all, it’s just that Pecco became a force to be reckoned with and finished the year second.
It’s obvious what Miller needs to do; he needs to improve his consistency and crash less. His form dipped too often last year. Ninth in each of the Qatar races to begin 2021 was a surprise, before a crash at Portimao left him with 14 points from three rounds.
Three more DNFs followed, alongside an 11th in Austria and seventh at CoTA. In the modern age of MotoGP, this isn’t title form.
It’s all about his mindset. “I think it’s good to come in a bit hungry, not coming in thinking like I did last year that I was going to win the championship after the winter tests,” he admitted after finishing 18th overall at the Mandalika test.
Removing any title-winning thoughts from his mind will do Miller the world of good. Whilst he will be a contender, doing this will remove some pressure and make the good days feel even better.