Метка: Dutch GP

Yamaha debuts new engine in Assen MotoGP practice

Опубликовано от ASPPA IMAGES ANO


Yamaha debuted a new MotoGP engine on Friday at the Dutch Grand Prix, but Fabio Quartararo doesn’t believe it is helping much at the flowing Assen track.

The Japanese marque has utilised its concession benefits to develop and test the new engine with its race riders prior to this weekend’s Dutch GP.

Yamaha’s initial 2024 engine delivered more power as requested from its riders, but robbed the M1 of agility – with both Quartararo and Alex Rins suffering from arm pump issues at several races this year.

The new engine brought to Assen is aimed at curing the agility problems while maintaining power.

Speedtrap figures from second practice show the two Yamahas to be towards the bottom of the charts, with the M1 losing just under 7km/h (4.3mph) to the fastest machines.

Quartararo says the new engine has helped the bike under braking, which allows for better turning in the slower corners – but there has been no improvement in the fast turns.

“New engine is helping, but not here,” he said after ending Friday 11th fastest.

“It’s helping in a few corners that is more in the area where we really stop, because we feel more stopping performance.

“But here, by sector two you don’t have to stop. You have to turn and have agility on the bike, last sector also.

“So, we are losing a lot in this area. But if we check sector one, I am quite fast and it’s the area where we have most improved.

“I can stop the bike more and can carry a little bit more speed. But unfortunately, on the really fast corners we are still as bad as before.”

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Alex Rins, Yamaha Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

In sector one in second practice, Quartararo was third-fastest with a split of 30.163s relative to Maverick Vinales’ 30.078s.

In sector two, he drops to 14th, improves to ninth in the third split and slips to 11th in the final sector – confirming his claims.

Both Quartararo and Rins have one of the new engines each, with the former insisting reverting to the older spec won’t be an option by choice.

“I will continue to use because it’s not worse on the turning and agility,” he added.

“It’s the same, but we improved a little bit on the stopping performance.

“And in the slow corners the bike is turning better.

“So, there is no point using the last base from 24. From Qatar to Mugello we used the same engine, but we had to switch because we feel it’s better.”

For Rins, who was 14th at the end of practice, he noted: “With the new engine, it was a little bit better to turn.

“We gained a bit of turning, but still we are a bit far compared to the competitors.

“This morning we had some problems with the electronics, I didn’t make so many laps because as I say the TC (traction control) was not working in a good way, a proper way.

“But in the afternoon we changed a bit the electronics side and we did a different approach with the setting, and we did a step forward compared to the morning.

“But still not enough to be closer. Right now, we are out of Q2, so tomorrow we will need to work a bit harder.”

Additional reporting by Oriol Puigdemont and Gerald Dirnbeck

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Pramac announces Ducati split, move to Yamaha MotoGP structure

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Pramac has announced that it will part ways with Ducati at the end of the current MotoGP season to become a satellite Yamaha team in 2025.

As revealed by Autosport on Thursday, the Italian outfit will bring the curtain down to a relationship that began almost two decades ago in 2005 to ink a new multi-year deal with Yamaha.

Pramac has appeared stronger than ever this year with two factory-spec GP24s, with Jorge Martin taking an 18-point lead to this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen. But despite competitive performance on track, a series of other disagreements with Ducati led Paolo Campinoti’s squad to not take up the option it had to renew its contract with Ducati. 

Campinoti had detected a growing interest from Ducati in the VR46 structure, and the Italian marque even raised the possibility of Pramac giving up an official bike to Valentino Rossi’s team, which triggered a war — and the eventual separation- between the two parties.

Their split however means Yamaha will once again have a satellite team in its stable, the culmination of the efforts of team boss Lin Jarvis who is due to retire from his post at the end of 2024.

Getting two additional Yamaha M1s on the 2025 grid was the next main goal for Jarvis after he had successfully convinced 2021 champion Fabio Quartararo to remain with the Japanese manufacturer under a new multi-year deal. 

Bringing Pramac under its fold is expected to be a major boost for Yamaha in its quest to return to the sharp end of the grid, as it will have more resources to develop the M1.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The Iwata brand intends on supplying four identical bikes across its two teams next season, offering parity of equipment to Pramac as part of their contract. It marks a change of philosophy for the brand, having previously focused on doing business rather than improving the competitiveness of its bikes with satellite teams.

It’s not yet clear which two riders will line up for Pramac next year, with Martin already having announced his decision to join the factory Aprilia team next year. 

The rider market shape-up caused by Ducati, which has signed Marc Marquez to partner Francesco Bagnaia at its works team next year, doesn’t leave many top-quality alternatives for the squad.

Another candidate that has been talked about a lot recently is World Superbike superstar Toprak Razgatlioglu, although the Turkish rider is tied to BMW until 2026 and will need to find a way to break his contract.

Pramac could consider promoting young riders as well, so Moto2 Sergio García or Alonso Lopez can not be ruled out.

As a consequence of Pramac tying up with Yamaha, VR46 will automatically inherit its current position and enjoy factory support from next year.

Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team

Marco Bezzecchi, VR46 Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

In principle, the squad should receive two identical bikes to factory team riders Marquez and Bagnaia, along with full technical support. But, that is assuming that VR46 will agree to cover the price of two VR46s instead of just one.

VR46 has not decided on its line-up either, although one of the riders should be Fermin Aldeguer, who was signed by Ducati at the beginning of the year and was set to be originally placed at Pramac.

The other rider, due to familiarity to Ducati, could be Martin’s current Pramac team-mate Franco Morbidelli.



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Bagnaia breaks lap record to top second practice

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Ducati’s Francesco Bagnaia topped second practice for the 2024 MotoGP Dutch Grand Prix from Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales after setting a new Assen lap record.

The hour-long qualifying group-deciding session proved to be a tense affair, with just 0.673 seconds covering the top 10.

Bagnaia set the pace with a 1m31.340s, posted with just over 10 minutes to go, and proved strong enough for the world champion to box early at the end of the session.

Aprilia’s Vinales challenged him for top spot at the end, but came up just 0.065s short as team-mate Aleix Espargaro suffered a nasty highside at the final chicane.

This incident brought out yellow flags and scuppered the final laps of a number of riders, with the most notable Q1 entries proving to be Yamaha’s Fabio Quartararo and Tech3 GasGas rookie Pedro Acosta.

Alex Marquez leaped up to third late on for Gresini Ducati, while Espargaro was fourth despite his crash ahead of championship leader Jorge Martin, who was involved in an odd incident with Jack Miller in the closing stages.

Martin was riding slowly on the racing line through the Turn 9 left-hander, while KTM’s Miller was looking behind when he went through the corner.

Looking round at the last moment, Miller’s head made contact with Martin’s back and his KTM suffered some aerodynamic damage – but both stayed on their motorcycles.

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

Pedro Acosta, Red Bull GASGAS Tech3

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Marc Marquez was sixth on the second Gresini Ducati, with KTM’s Brad Binder seventh ahead of Ducati’s Enea Bastianini – who crashed at the end of the session.

Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez continued his strong Friday at Assen in ninth on his 2023-spec Aprilia, while Franco Morbidelli took the final direct Q2 qualifying spot in 10th on the second Pramac Ducati.

Despite running Yamaha’s new engine, which was met with rave reviews from Quartararo and Alex Rins in a recent private test, 2021 world champion Quartararo could do no more than 11th in second practice.

Both VR46 Ducatis have also missed the Q2 cut in 12th and 13th, Marco Bezzecchi heading Fabio Di Giannantonio, while Rins was 14th from Acosta in 15th.

Top Honda honours went to Johann Zarco of LCR Racing in 17th, while Miller was left in 18th after his scare with Martin.

MotoGP Dutch GP — FP2 results:



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Why Mir’s “priority” is to remain with Honda despite two years of MotoGP misery

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Reports by Motorsport.com saying Joan Mir is set to stay with Honda in MotoGP for two more years came as some surprise given the misery of the past two seasons.

To say the last three years for Mir have been brutal would be something of an understatement.

The 2020 world champion was nearing renewing with Suzuki, with whom he won the title, early in 2022 when the Japanese brand made its shock decision to quit the series at the end of that year.

It forced him into signing for the factory Honda squad for the 2023/24 seasons, stepping right into the fire as the competitiveness of the RC213V hit its nadir after an already tricky couple of years following Marc Marquez’s final title win in 2019.

Numerous injury woes forced Mir out of five grands prix last season and he ended the campaign with a meek tally of 26 points.

This marked the worst points tally for a full-time Repsol Honda rider ever in the modern MotoGP era. Previously that dishonour belonged to three-time MotoGP champion Jorge Lorenzo, who managed just 28 points in his sole year with the team in 2019 before retiring (Stefan Bradl’s 27-point haul in 2020 is not being considered for this stat, as he was drafted in to replace Marc Marquez after breaking his arm in round one).

Things have not improved at all in 2024, despite concession regulations brought in to help the struggling Japanese manufacturers.

Mir is currently 18th in the standings on just 13 points, achieving a best GP result of 12th. He is the top Honda rider in the championship, four points clear of LCR’s Johann Zarco whose best result is also 12th. Team-mate Takaaki Nakagami is a point behind, while Mir’s team-mate Luca Marini is yet to score after seven rounds.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Mir has crashed seven times this season already (having done so 24 times across 2023), while Honda has spent much of the year chasing its tail as the engine characteristic it found in pre-season testing led to “unexpected” problems. Thus, not much development has actually been done to address the bike’s poor grip and handling.

Prior to the rider market bursting into life at the Italian GP, the signs were that Mir was facing retirement rather than carrying on. That’s changed.

“The priority has been that one [to stay with Honda] for one year ago or something, because it’s true that I’ve been unlucky to be part of probably the worst moment of Honda in history,” Mir said on Thursday at the Dutch GP.

“Also, I still have the feeling that if I leave I will be failing in this project because when another rider in the past left this project, he was with some good results in the past and it’s not my case. I don’t have good results with this team and I will have a different feeling if I leave. So, the priority at the moment is that one. Of course, the decision is not done because we have different options to do. But the priority is that one.”

Mir spoke last year that during his lay-off with injury following a crash at the Italian GP that he considered retiring, but that fear of failure kept him motivated for the challenge ahead. When Marc Marquez announced he’d be leaving, Mir stepped up to sound himself out as the leader HRC should be throwing its weight behind.

Though the results have been lacking, his stablemates have expressed on numerous occasions in 2024 that Mir has been the only Honda rider to be able to improve the pace threshold of the bike from Friday through Sunday.

So, losing him would be a big blows for Honda. The same can’t be said for the other way around, though, with a rider of Mir’s calibre deserving of much better than what Honda has currently delivered.

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Joan Mir, Repsol Honda Team

Photo by: Repsol Media

But he is convinced by what Honda has been working on and the direction it is going.

“I think what is coming is going to be better,” he noted. “I don’t know if it will be the step to be with those guys [our rivals], because every time we improve the others improve. We never reach that potential. But it’s true we will get closer, I’m sure about this.

“And the direction they want to take is very interesting. This season we’ve been a bit unlucky because with one engine character that looks like it was pretty good in Sepang test then started giving us some unexpected problems. We had to come back, the engineers had to work on that and not on developing. We lost a bit of time there.”

Mir didn’t comment on what direction Honda is going on that has brought him enthusiasm and it won’t be lost on him that Yamaha – who has brought a new engine for the Dutch GP – has been developing and testing at a faster rate than HRC.

There is also the element to consider that Mir’s options outside of Honda are limited, certainly when it comes to the financial package Honda can offer compared to the few remaining teams left without firm line-ups.

Mir is taking something of a leap of faith, as the next big upgrade isn’t expected until September, though he told Spanish media at Assen that it is a risk to hold off because he could find himself without a seat.

In some ways, then, Mir’s back was against the wall. But given how bad his stint at Honda has been, a decision to retire would have been more understandable than a two-year commitment to the Japanese marque.

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Bagnaia shades Marquez in first practice

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Reigning MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia topped the opening practice for the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix, after Fabio Di Giannantonio had his session-topping lap cancelled.

After a three-week break forced by the postponement of the Kazakhstan GP to September, MotoGP returned to action on Friday morning at the iconic TT Assen venue.

Following weeks of rider market shocks, Di Giannantonio looked like he’d set the pace in the first practice of the weekend as he aims to secure his MotoGP future.

The VR46 Ducati rider was fastest with a 1m32.314s set in the closing seconds, but had that lap deleted for exceeding track limits, dropping him to seventh.

This promoted factory Ducati rider Bagnaia to top spot with a 1m32.401s he posted with just under 20 minutes remaining in the session.

He headed next year’s factory Ducati team-mate Marc Marquez by 0.065 seconds, with the Gresini rider’s future announced days after the Italian GP at the start of June.

Raul Fernandez completed the top three for the Trackhouse Racing Aprilia squad, while Fabio Quartararo was fourth as Yamaha brings a new engine to Assen for both the 2021 world champion and his team-mate Alex Rins.

Marquez set the pace early on in the 45-minute session with a 1m34.286s, which was instantly bettered by Bagnaia on a 1m34.225s.

The pair traded top spot once more, with a 1m33.004s from Marquez beaten by a 1m32.820s by Bagnaia – though this was quickly deleted for a track limits violation.

Marquez then posted a 1m32.980s with just over 10 minutes of the session gone, which stood as the reference for a brief time before Fernandez produced a 1m32.962s.

This was quickly bettered by Bagnaia with a 1m32.625s, with the Italian following that up with a 1m32.401s which would ultimately stand as the best time of the session.

With 15s to go on the clock, a soft tyre-shod Di Giannantonio lit up the timing screens and managed a 1m32.314s before it was cancelled.

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Bagnaia didn’t change tyres during the session, putting 19 laps on his medium rear, while Marquez and Fernandez completing the top three ran fresh medium rubber.

Quartararo fitted a fresh soft rear for his fourth-fastest time, while fresh mediums for the Aprilia duo of Maverick Vinales – who will join KTM next year – and Aleix Espargaro saw them complete the top six.

Di Giannantonio was shuffled down to seventh after losing his best lap time, with Gresini’s Alex Marquez, KTM’s Brad Binder and championship leader Jorge Martin (Pramac) rounding out the top 10.

Martin, like Bagnaia, stayed on the same medium rear tyre he started the session on through to the chequered flag.

Dutch GP — FP1 results:



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The Ducati MotoGP power dynamics Bagnaia must now manage

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Reigning double MotoGP world champion Francesco Bagnaia believes Marc Marquez «is smart and he’ll understand» how to maintain Ducati’s success in 2025.

Following the Italian Grand Prix, Ducati announced it has signed Marquez to a two-year contract to join its factory team from 2025 alongside Bagnaia.

Marquez’s refusal to take a factory bike at Pramac next year scared Ducati management into a U-turn on its original decision to give the works team seat to Jorge Martin, who will now ride for Aprilia.

That moment proved a major powerplay for the eight-time world champion, showing the influence he holds within MotoGP despite a difficult four years prior at Honda.

It is understood that the Valentino Rossi camp was angry at Ducati’s decision to promote Marquez into the factory team, wary of the destabilisation he could cause as he seeks a ninth world title.

Asked for his perspective about it in the pre-event press conference at Assen on Thursday, Bagnaia said: «From my perspective I wasn’t included in the decision because it’s something that I asked, I just wanted to be focused on the race track.

«In both cases was more or less the same situation because Jorge and Marc are super-fast. In this moment Jorge has more of a feeling with the bike, more experience with the bike, so he is faster.

«But in any case, was more or less very similar in terms of speed of team-mates.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing, Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team, Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«So, for me it’s a new challenge, a new team-mate to beat. And it will be fun. Marc is very smart guy and we will understand very perfectly the way to adapt to the team and to work to improve our situation again.»

This was a toned-down version of a comment of veiled caution Bagnaia projected to DAZN at Assen, in which he said: «I found out about Marc’s signing on Monday at Mugello. I already knew it was a possibility. I think Marc is a smart rider, and he knows how to adapt to the situation.

«We are the strongest team of all at the moment, and if we want to continue like this, improving the bike and growing, we have to continue like this. But Marc is smart and he’ll understand that.»

Reading between the lines, this is Bagnaia laying down a clear message to Marquez: do not upset the balance of this team.

Marquez’s domination years on the Honda came with very little in the way of intra-team rivalry, as he was easily the best rider of HRC’s stable. As others struggled, Marquez took the bike to results it had no business achieving, and so Honda’s bike development was done cautiously so as not to upset that balance.

When he badly broke his arm at the 2020 Spanish GP, that prompted a rethink and ultimately led to the pair’s split last year as the bike developed so far in the wrong direction not even Marquez could coax much out of it.

In just his second round on the Gresini-run 2023-spec Ducati, Marquez got onto the podium in the Portugal sprint but collided with Bagnaia in the latter stages of the grand prix in what was their first flashpoint of the year.

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Francesco Bagnaia, Ducati Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

At the Spanish GP, the duo battled hard for victory, colliding at Turn 10 in the final laps. They stayed onboard their bikes and Bagnaia came out on top. But that was the moment it became clear that Marquez had fully adapted to the Ducati and his name was a firm contender for the factory team seat.

From this weekend’s Dutch GP, Bagnaia isn’t just battling for a third world title now. Any defeat of Marquez is a mental advantage in drawing the battlelines for when they become team-mates. For Marquez, winning over Bagnaia will be proof that Ducati was right to pick him.

The «balance» to MotoGP Ducati’s Marquez decision will bring

The after-effects of Ducati’s decision are already showing. Instantly, it sent Martin to Aprilia – something Marquez has noted was «a risky decision because they have said no to a great rider like Martin to choose me».

Five-time grand prix winner Enea Bastianini has taken his speed and bike knowledge to KTM, while Marco Bezzecchi jumps off of a VR46-run Ducati to join Martin at the factory Aprilia squad.

Though 2024 has not been a good season for the three-time grand prix winner, Bezzecchi is walking away from likely having a factory Ducati next year with VR46 now poised to get the marque’s exclusive works support with Pramac now set to join Yamaha.

«I think Ducati, by the strategy that they have taken – which I respect – they’ve helped the other manufacturers a lot, that’s for sure,» Aleix Espargaro said at Assen on Thursday.

«KTM is going to be super strong, Aprilia is going to be really strong with really motivated riders in KTM and Aprilia. Looks like they are going to lose two bikes, so we’re going to balance the championship.»

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Aleix Espargaro, Aprilia Racing Team

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

Ducati’s original plan was to promote Martin to the factory team and give Marquez a factory bike at Pramac, and in doing so having its cake and eating it.

Marquez’s refusal to join Pramac kicked that dream to death. Signing him has cost it the current championship leader, knocked its stable down from eight bikes to six and caused concern from within the camp of its double world champion.

All of this will undoubtedly have a huge impact on how the remainder of the 2024 title battle unfolds.

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The full circle moment in Marquez’s 2025 MotoGP future news

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Marc Marquez has spoken about his signing with the factory Ducati MotoGP team for 2025 for the first time publicly ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix.

Following the Italian GP three weeks ago, Ducati announced that it had signed the eight-time world champion to its factory team for 2025 – going against its original decision to promote Jorge Martin from Pramac.

Ahead of the Dutch GP at Assen, Marquez spoke of the build-up to Ducati’s announcement, which acts as something of a full circle moment in the 31-year-old’s MotoGP career.

Ahead of the Dutch GP 12 months ago, Marquez had just come from a German GP weekend in which he crashed five times and withdrew from Sunday’s race following a warm-up spill that left him injured.

That moment came amid a torrid run for Marquez on the Honda in which its lack of competitiveness led him to repeatedly crash out of races, and led to serious questions about his future.

Speaking on Thursday at the 2024 Dutch GP, Marquez admitted he was contemplating retiring at last year’s Assen round before the possibility of joining Gresini Ducati began to emerge.

That moment ultimately led to his move to the factory Ducati squad for 2025, having scored eight podiums in total in the first seven rounds of the current campaign.

“I’m super happy and I’m very thankful to Ducati Corse to choose me as team-mate to Pecco [Bagnaia], especially because one year ago here I was super close to saying ‘Ok, this is the end of my career’,” he said on Thursday at Assen.

“But luckily it was the summer break, I recharged the batteries, I recharged my body and from that point I decided another way.

“In that decision, of course thanks to Honda at the same time because they understood perfectly my situation and allowed me to go to Gresini team.

“In the Gresini team, I feel immediately – and I understand that the bike was ready to have that confidence again – the atmosphere of that team was the best one to renew a rider that was in some way lost.

“So, from that point I tried to do my best and I was one of the contenders for that Ducati official bike, and already that was a pleasure.

“On Sunday night after Mugello they informed me that they decided that I will be the rider. In two days we closed the contract and on the Wednesday we announced it.”

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Marc Marquez, Gresini Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

On the run up to the Italian GP, which Ducati had earmarked as the deadline for its factory seat decision, Marquez had spoken numerous times about the “plan” he had for his future.

When asked if the factory seat was his plan all along, Marquez – who publicly rejected a move to Pramac — insists it was either that or remaining at Gresini on a works bike.

“In my team, or around my team, nothing changed,” he added.

“We had the same information from Le Mans to Montmelo to Mugello. They were thinking to take the decision, Wednesday in Mugello they were still thinking and I was comfortable.

“I was very clear and honest about what I wanted. I wanted the latest bike in Gresini team or the official team.

“They chose me for the official team, so I’m even happier. The target of a rider is to be in the official team and to ride in red next year is a pleasure, and I will try to defend the colours in the maximum way and with the biggest effort.”

Marquez says he has not been told who his crew will be for 2025, other than the tyre technician he brought from Honda to Gresini – Javi Ortiz – coming with him.

At present, it’s unclear if he will continue working with Frankie Carchedi as crew chief, switch to current Enea Bastianini crew chief Marco Rigamonti or reunite with Santi Hernandez.

Marquez’s insistence to only commit to a single year with Gresini upon leaving Honda meant he could not bring long-time crew chief Hernandez with him, out of fears he could walk to a rival manufacturer with vital information in 2025.

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Ducati has offered full support in MotoGP despite Aprilia deal

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Jorge Martin says Ducati has assured him that he will get its full support in the 2024 MotoGP title fight despite his impending split from the Italian manufacturer.
Pramac rider Martin will leave the Ducati fold after four seasons to join Aprilia on a multi-year deal in 2025, having lost out in the race to secure a works seat at the Borgo Panigale marque to six-time MotoGP champion Marc Marquez.
The 26-year-old is currently in the thick of the championship fight with factory Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia and Gresini’s Marquez, holding a small but substantial 18-point lead in the standings heading to this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix at Assen.

If Martin ends up winning the title, it raises the prospect of him taking the prestigious number 1 plate to Aprilia next year, which would not sit well with Ducati. 

Moreover, the Pramac team he races with is closing in on a deal to become a Yamaha satellite squad next year, with an announcement expected later this weekend.

Given the situation, Ducati would be better off focusing its efforts on Bagnaia and to a lesser extent Marquez, but Martin has made it clear that both he and the Italian marque remain committed to giving their all until the end of their contract period.

«For my side, I’m a professional rider, I’m paid by Ducati, I race for Ducati and for the moment till Valencia Ducati is my home,» he said.

Jorge Martin, Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing

Jorge Martin, Massimo Rivola, Aprilia Racing

Photo by: Aprilia Racing

«I will give my 100% to win or give my best to try to win and, from that case, they told me also I will have the same material I had till the moment.

«So I’m confident that it will not be an issue and I can battle with these two guys with fair conditions.»

Ducati had initially chosen Martin to replace Enea Bastianini in its factory line-up but was forced to take a U-turn on its decision after Marquez refused to accept joining Pramac, even on a factory-spec bike.

Amid the fear of losing Marquez to a rival, Ducati was left with no option but to promote him from Gresini to join Bagnaia next year, creating an all-star line-up.

Unhappy at being overlooked for that coveted seat for a second time in three years, Martin took things into his own hands and inked a deal with Aprilia on Monday after the Italian Grand Prix that will see him spearhead the Noale marque’s factory assault.

Speaking at Assen, Martin admitted that he was «frustrated» with how things unfolded over the course of the Mugello race week, as he went from being chosen for the factory Ducati seat to having to look outside the Italian camp entirely, but feels he is joining a better place where he is «really wanted».

«For sure, it was an eventful weekend in Mugello even if I wasn’t aware of [what was happening in the background],» he explained.

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Jorge Martin, Pramac Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

«I arrived in Mugello with some ideas, with some information that then during the weekend changed quite a lot. So as soon as the race finished, I understood that maybe it wasn’t that clear so I had to take a decision. 

«I understood that sometimes in life things don’t go as you expect or as you want. For sure it was a bit frustrating, not in Mugello, but afterwards, after four years of trying to go to the official bike.

«I understood that I wasn’t the decision or the best solution for Ducati. That it was Marc.

«But I took the best opportunity I could, I think I will be much happier (in the) next years where I go and I also will be a factory rider, that was my dream.

«So I go to a place where they really want me and where they will give their 100% for me.»

Martin didn’t elaborate on how exactly his career took a different turn at Mugello, only saying that «but for sure something or someone arrived and changed the idea».

He added: «I’m frustrated because after such a long time trying to go [to the factory team]. It always seemed like it would never arrive and finally, it didn’t arrive, so it was easy. 

«But I wasn’t convinced 100% that I would go in there because of that. Things happen like they have to happen, but I’m happy about what happened.»

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Jack Miller reveals brutal KTM U-turn on his MotoGP future

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Jack Miller has revealed KTM told him ‘don’t talk to anybody’ in MotoGP ‘because we want to keep you in the family’ before being informed he would not be staying.

The 29-year-old’s future with KTM has hung in the balance for much of the 2024 season, with it widely expected that Pedro Acosta would be taking his place at the factory team in 2025 before the move was officially announced at the start of the month.

But remaining within the KTM fold – having joined from Ducati last year – was still possible with Tech3, and ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix Miller says he was told the Austrian marque wanted to keep hold of him.

“I was surprised, because last I heard was ‘don’t bother talking to anybody because we want to keep you in the family’ and then you get a phone call three hours before the press release gets launched saying that you’re not getting a contract,” Miller said at Assen on Thursday.

“So, yeah, I was surprised. To say the least. But it is what it is. But as I said to them, I didn’t come to this project to be in and out in two years.

“I left probably the most competitive bike on the grid to come over here and try and bring my knowledge.

“And I feel like last year, what we were able to bring already to improve the bike to a certain level was a big addition.”

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: KTM Images

KTM ultimately decided to refresh its Tech3 line-up with two outsiders in Aprilia’s Maverick Vinales and Ducati’s Enea Bastianini, leaving Miller and Augusto Fernandez without rides currently for 2025.

Miller says he has options on the table, with links to Gresini Ducati – which will retain Alex Marquez in 2025 – and Honda emerging in recent weeks, while strong relations with Pramac could make him a target for its Yamaha switch next year.

What’s clear in Miller’s mind, though, is that what he does next is not going to be dictated by his family life and has not weighed up the possibility of becoming a test rider.

“At the moment, it’s all been talk,” he said. “So, it’s about weighing up what I want, what the project has to offer in terms of obviously going to a Ducati is very, very interesting because I know the bike very well, I know the structure very well.

“I have no doubts I can get back on that bike and be inside the top five almost instantly. But a lot of things are changing in MotoGP come ’27, and working on a project and looking for a long-term home to finish out my last strong years in MotoGP and working towards a common goal – which I thought we had, but we didn’t.

“So, that’s one of those things we need to weigh up. I have money in my account, I’m very fortunate. So it’s not about that. It’s what I want for my career.”

On the possibility of taking on a test role, he added: “For the moment, I can’t even put myself in that realm because I don’t think of myself as a test rider.

“I enjoy this too much, I enjoy racing. I don’t enjoy the testing side of it, I do it because I enjoy the work because you are working towards a goal.

“But in terms of just going round and round in circles on a motorcycle doesn’t excite me. Going out there and competing with 22 other bikes is what I’m here for. Who knows for the future, but all I want to do is race.”

Does Miller truly merit another chance in MotoGP?

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The Australian is adamant that he has more to give in MotoGP, even if he feels like what has achieved already is more than he could have dreamed of if his career does come to an end.

Miller has always considered himself to be one of MotoGP’s most doubted riders, and there is cause for that.

Stepping straight up to MotoGP in 2015 with LCR Honda on a three-year HRC deal, Miller’s attitude and work ethic was heavily criticised at the time. At the end of that first season, he scored just 17 points and didn’t trouble the top 10.

The bike he was on, though, was a production-derived Open class Honda with about as much power behind it as a gentle breeze. An injury-hit second year on a proper RC213V with Marc VDS stunted his progress, but when the opportunity arose to win at Assen in the wet Miller didn’t put a foot wrong.

Being a consistent top 10 challenger on difficult Honda machinery in 2017 earned him a Pramac Ducati seat for 2018 and in 2019 he began troubling the podium a bit more frequently with five third-place finishes.

At the same time, Ducati started to show trust in him by having him develop new items – a role the Italian marque had him carry out up to his final outing in Valencia 2022 long after his move to KTM was sealed.

Back-to-back wins in Spain and France in 2021 ended his drought, but only one win would follow after that – in Japan in 2022, in what was easily his best ride to date in MotoGP. But with factory team-mate Francesco Bagnaia winning six times that year on his way to the title and Bastianini four times on a year-old Ducati at Gresini in third in the standings (30 points clear of the Australian), Miller’s form fell well short of what was necessary.

In his first year on the KTM in 2023, he scored just one grand prix podium (throwing away a golden opportunity for a win in Valencia to boot) while team-mate Brad Binder managed five, as well as two sprint wins, with 130 points splitting them in the championship. That can be somewhat chalked up to bike experience, given how different the RC16 is to the Ducati he previously rode.

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Jack Miller, Red Bull KTM Factory Racing

Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images

The 2024 KTM hasn’t been the consistent package it should be so far, with it scoring just three GP podiums in the first seven rounds. Acosta’s stunning form is helping mask this, with the rookie able to extract the absolute maximum out of it. Binder is only 16 points adrift, so there is performance there.

But Miller has only amassed 27 and failed to score in five of the seven GP races run so far in 2024. That puts him only 14 clear of Augusto Fernandez, and so based on numbers alone, KTM’s decision is justifiable – not least with Vinales winning a GP for Aprilia this year and Bastianini finding podium form on the Ducati.

However, much of Miller’s frustrations at the lack of results this year suggest that KTM has over-relied on his Ducati information to improve its RC16 without actually bringing significant developments to the bike.

“Now we have hit a bit of a wall and that comes down to development, what we need to develop and where we need to go with the bike,” he noted. “There’s only so much bringing the information from another manufacturer can bring you forward.

“In the end, parts need to come, development needs to happen. And we’re at that wall. So, like I said, I didn’t plan on being here for two years. That was not the anticipation. But that’s the way the cookie crumbled. But when one door closes, another door opens and hopefully we can do some decent things because the ultimate goal when I signed for KTM was to try to win on three different manufacturers and that goal is still there.”

KTM’s handling of the Miller situation also shows that it still hasn’t ousted the inherent rider treatment problem it has been guilty of in the past.

Remy Gardner was told halfway through his rookie 2022 season with Tech3 that his attitude wasn’t good enough and was forced to find a ride in World Superbikes for 2023. Raul Fernandez didn’t really want to go to MotoGP with Tech3 and KTM in 2022 having preferred Petronas SRT Yamaha, but ended up with the Austrian marque anyway.

Iker Lecuona was drafted into Tech3 in 2020 as a late option when Brad Binder was moved to the factory team instead, with the Spaniard having not had much circuit racing experience and given little time to improve before being dumped at the end of 2021.

Racing is a ruthless game, however, and Miller’s slump on the KTM has come at the wrong time. Arguably Miller’s strengths lie in being a test rider, but he has proven multiple race-winning potential on competitive machinery and that’s not something to be sniffed at for any team considering the Australian.



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