Jack Miller buoyant: “Felt shit” after Qatar, podium “realistic” in Portimao
Jack Miller reacts to going second-fastest on Fr💟⛦iday in Portimao at the Portuguese MotoGP
Jack Millꦇer delivered a much-needed reminder of his capabilities with a P2 finish at Friday Pra💞ctice at the Portuguese MotoGP.
Miller was behind only Enea Bastianini on a hugely posit🦄ive day for the KTM rider.
At the season-opener in Qatar he endured a d𒉰readful 21st-placed finish, the ꦰworst possible start to a season where he must earn his next KTM contract.
Miller said after going second-fastest in Portimao on Friday: “It wa🍷s a good🐬 day, obviously.
“The conditions we🐻re not what we expected, with the rain overnight.
“The bike is working we🐎ll, as it has done all year. It’s nice to show up and have a crack!
“There are areas we can improve on th♒e harꦦd tyre and the soft.
“It’s nice to be through to Q2, that’s the fir𓂃st job done.
“The way I felt this afternoon, whe🐼n I did the lap times on hard tyre꧒s, I was happy.”
M♑iller had✱ an early crash in Portimao but rebounded confidently.
He was asked if the circuit🌌 suits his machine, and said: “The old KTM maybe was more manoeuvrable.
“All t꧙he bikes now have gone to the longerꦑ wheel base.
“But, our bike does suit it. From Turn 1 to 3, you can pitch the thing sideways and get🎶 it to stop on a dimepiece, and follow the whitꦕe line around the inside, which used to be pretty hard on the Ducati.
“So it’s a track that suits our bike.
“Qatar suit🙈ed our bike too. I didn’t feel terrible. I just didn’tꦐ put it together.”
Miller believes𒀰 a podium is possible this weekend.
“I think it every week otherwise I🥃 wouldn’t🐲 show up,” he said.
“But obviously it seems more realistic this week.
“I felt extremely shit after the race in Qatar but that’s a different s♎tory.
“We have a great package. We♈ just need the stars to align and we can do a great job.”
Miller went through a rigorღous fitness regime before the start of the 2024 MotoGP season but wasn’t able to show off his hard work due to a terrible result in Qatar.
“I worked ex🦹tremely hard on the offseason, and in the week between Qatar and h൲ere, to exhaust every option and to work on myself physically and mentally,” he said.
And he added: “F***** 🦹food, I’ve never eaten so much fruit in my life, I am trying everything!”
James was a sports journalꦆisꩲt at Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
