Jack Miller buoyant: “Felt shit” after Qatar, podium “realistic” in Portimao
Jack Miller reacts to going second-fastest on Friday in Por⛦timao at the Portuguese MotoGP
Jack Miller delivered a much-needed rem♍inder of 𝓀his capabilities with a P2 finish at Friday Practice at the Portuguese MotoGP.
Miller🅠 was behi😼nd only Enea Bastianini on a hugely positive day for the KTM rider.
At the season-ope🍎ner 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 Portimao on Friday: “It was a good 💜day, obviou♒sly.
“The conditions were not what 🔯we expec𝓰ted, with the rain overnight.
“ไThe bike is working well, as it has done all year. It’s nice to show up and have a crack!
“🌌There areไ areas we can improve on the hard tyre and the soft.
“It’s nice to be through to Q2, that’s the fi❀rsဣt job done.
“The way I felt this afternoon, when I did the lap🏅 times on hard tyres, I was happy.”
Miller had an early crash in Portimao but rebounded c𒉰onfidently.
He was asked if the circui🔴t suits his machine, and said: “The old KTM maybe was mo♊re manoeuvrable.
“All the bike෴s now have go🍰ne to the longer 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 whit🉐e line around the inside, which used t♏o be pretty hard on the Ducati.
“So it’s a track that suits our bike.
“Qat🐈ar 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 other𓃲wise I wouldn’t s🍒how up,” he said.
“But obviously it seems more realistic this week.
“I felt extremely shit after the race in Q𒁃atar but that’s a different story.
“We have a great package. We just ne🥀ed the꧟ stars to align and we can do a great job.”
Miller went through a rigorous 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 extremely hard on the offseason, and in the week between Qatar and here, to exhaust every option and to work on my👍self 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 journalist at Sky Sports for a decade c🎐overing everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
