Aussie MotoGP gun sick of being ‘d–ked around’
Australian MotoGP rider Jack Miller says he’s sick of being “d–ked around” by one-year contract extensions, as he pushes to remain with Ducati Lenovo beyond this season.
The 27-year-old has only had the support of one-year deals since landing at Pramac in 2018, and he wants to be signed up for two years, as are teammate Francesco Banaia and many other riders.
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“For sure, I’d love to be on a two-year contract like every single other person in the paddock, pretty much,” Miller told Fox Sports ahead of the Indonesian Grand Prix.
“I’d love to be just on the same schedule as everybody else so that you’re not getting stuck out in the cold, so that you’re not being dicked around.
“At this point in my life I’m kind of over having to justify myself every time.
“But it is what it is.”
Miller has won three races in his career and two of those victories came in 2021.
The Queenslander made it onto the podium three times and had a career-high fourth-placed finish in the title race.
“The problem is people forget very quickly, and that’s the way it is in this game,” Miller said.
“It’s just one of those parts of the game, I guess you can say.
“You kind of get over it at some point because you think, ‘Well, what am I doing this for?’.
“You can’t do anything about it except lose mental strength. You’re just wasting your energy on it.”
Miller qualified in fourth in the season-opening Qatar Grand Prix but recorded a DNF, retiring due to an electronics issue.
He then only qualified in ninth in the Indonesian Grand Prix but impressed in a shortened and rain-delayed race, sitting in second late before slipping to a fourth-placed finish.
“The way that the championship’s gone the last couple of years, it’s just getting more and more and more competitive and the machines are getting more competitive,” Miller said before the race.
“I mean, everybody’s just elevating their game and the riders are elevating their games, so it is different to what it has been in the past because there are no clear favourites. It’s as simple as that.
“There are that many fast guys. You can’t get a handle on it.
“The only thing you can do is just try to be as consistent as possible. As we’ve seen in last couple of years, consistency is what’s winning these championships.
“I think that’s been the biggest thing I’ve needed to work on.”
The MotoGP season will next play host to the Argentine Grand Prix on April 3.
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