Jack Miller buoyant: “Felt shit” after Qatar, podium “realistic” in Portimao
Jack Miller reacts 🍬to going second-fastest on Friday in Portimao at the Portuguese MotoGP
Jack Miller delivered a much-needed reminder o🅰f his capabilities with a P2 finish at Fridayꦇ Practice at the Portuguese MotoGP.
Miller was behind only Enea Bastianini on a hugely positive da꧑y fo💯r the KTM rider.
At the season-opener in Qatar he endured a dreadful 21st-placed finish, ✅the worst possible start to a season where he must earn his next KTM contract.
Miller said after going second-fastest in Por🐠timao on Friday: “It was a gꩲood day, obviously.
“The conditions were not what we expecteꦫd, with the rain overnight.
“The bike is working well, as it 🐎has done all year. It’🅷s nice to show up and have a crack!
“There a꧋re area🍌s we can improve on the hard tyre and the soft.
“It’s nice to be through to Q2, tꦫhat’s the first job done.
“The way I felt this aftern🧸oon, when I did the lap times on hard tyres, I was happy.”
Miller had an early crash in Portimao but rebouཧnded c༒onfidently.
He was asked if the circuit 🦩suits his machine, and said: “The old KTM mayb꧃e was more manoeuvrable.
“All the🅘 bikes now have gone to the longer wheel෴ base.
“But, our bikeꩲ does suit it. From Turn 1 to 3, you can pitch the thing sideways and get it to stop on a dimepi🐼ece, and follow the white line around the inside, which used to be pretty hard on the Ducati.
“So it’s a track that suits our bike.
“Qatar suited our bike too. I didn’t feel terrible. I just didn’t put it together💯.”
Miller believes a po🍸dium is possible this weekend.
“I think it 🐠every week otherwise I wouldn’t show up,” h🌃e said.
“But obviously it seems more realistic this week.
“I felt extremely shit after t𝔍he race in Qatar but that’s a different story.
“We have a great packag🐓e. We jus𒀰t need the stars to align and we can do a great job.”
Miller went through a rigorous fitness regime before the st🌼art of the 2024 MotoGP season but wasn’t able to show 🗹off his hard work due to a terrible result in Qatar.
“I worked extremely hard on the offseason, and in the week between Qatar and here, to exhaust every option and to work on mys꧅elf physically an🐈d mentally,” he said.
And he added: “F***** food, I’ve never ♔eat♔en so much fruit in my life, I am trying everything!”
James was a sports j🥀ournalist at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to footba꧑ll, to F1.
