Jack Miller has ended months of uncertainty about his MotoGP future, the Australian signing a one-year contract with former employer Pramac Racing as the Italian team switches from Ducati to Yamaha machinery from next season.
The 29-year-old, cast aside for 2025 by KTM at the Italian Grand Prix in June in favour of rookie sensation Pedro Acosta, will join fellow MotoGP veteran Miguel Oliveira at Pramac as Yamaha expands its commitment to four YZR-M1 machines on next year’s 22-bike grid.
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Miller and Portuguese rider Oliveira, a five-time race-winner, gives the fallen Japanese giant an experienced line-up with time spent with MotoGP’s four other manufacturers, the Australian riding for Honda, Ducati and KTM across 170 Grand Prix starts over 10 seasons, and Oliveira starting 97 races for KTM and Aprilia since moving up from Moto2 in 2019.
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Miller’s predicament looked desperate ahead of the British Grand Prix in early August when he admitted “my phone ain’t ringing” with offers for 2025.
But a closed-door meeting at Silverstone between the rider, his manager Aki Ajo, Pramac management and Dan Rossomondo, the chief commercial officer of MotoGP’s owners Dorna, gave oxygen to theories that the Australian’s nationality as much as his résumé played a part in him being considered for the vacancy, the series currently featuring 16 of 22 riders from either Spain or Italy, seven of the 20 rounds held between the two countries, and with Miller as the only native English-language speaker on the grid.
The two Pramac seats being filled finalises the 2025 grid, with Moto2 graduates Ai Ogura (Aprilia), Fermin Aldeguer (Ducati) and Somkiat Chantra (Honda) all being announced as stepping up to the premier class within the past month.
Yamaha, which won the 2021 title with Fabio Quartararo and has the Frenchman and multiple race-winner Alex Rins in its factory team, has managed just three podium finishes in the past two seasons, lagging well behind Ducati in the development race that has seen the Italian factory win 12 of this year’s 13 Grands Prix and have the leading four riders in the world championship standings.
PIT TALK PODCAST: In the Emilia-Romagna GP preview episode of ‘Pit Talk’, hosts Renita Vermeulen and Matt Clayton discuss Valentino Rossi’s explosive podcast interview that reignited his feud with Marc Marquez, look at the chances of Jorge Martin and Francesco Bagnaia at Misano, and discuss the imminent news of Jack Miller’s career lifeline with Yamaha.
Miller previously rode a Ducati for the Paolo Campinoti-owned Pramac team from 2018-20, taking nine podiums in three years before graduating with Francesco Bagnaia to Ducati’s factory outfit in 2021.
Pramac ended a 20-year association with Ducati in the wake of six-time world champion Marc Marquez refusing to ride for the team in 2025 and forcing his way into a seat at Ducati’s factory outfit alongside Bagnaia, which saw current Pramac rider and world championship leader Jorge Martin jump ship to Aprilia after missing out on a seat in Ducati’s primary team twice in three years.
Miller’s 2024 campaign with KTM has been his worst in MotoGP since his second season in 2016, the Australian sitting 15th in the championship with just 58 points after 13 events of the 20-round calendar, his best result coming in round two with fifth place in Portugal.
Source Agencies
