Jack Miller: I was having to use my whole leg to shift

Gear-shifting gremlins complicate Jack Miller's Aragon MotoGP race.

13 Sep 2021

Jack Miller , MotoGP race, Aragon MotoGP, 12 September 2021
© Gold and Goose Photography

Jack Miller's chances of making it two factory Ducatis on the Aragon podium, alongside race-winning team-mate Francesco Bagnaia, were hampered by a technical issue with the gear selection on his factory Ducati.

The Australian, who began the race alongside pole man Bagnaia, lost out to Marc Marquez at turn one but held onto third place for 10 of the 23 laps.

Running wide as he battled with the gearbox, Miller then lost out to the Aprilia of Aleix Espargaro and Suzuki's Joan Mir to finish the race in fifth.

"I wanted more today, I definitely would have liked to have been on the podium," Miller said. "I was having some issues with my leg, and trying to shift. The lever felt quite difficult and I kept making some mistakes on the gearbox.

"Hence I went out in the last corner and I kept going wide at Turn 1. So we have to analyse that a little bit more and work out what the problem was, because I really started to struggle and I was having to use basically my whole leg to shift. It was really weird.

"Anyway. The tyres worked really well, I felt really good on the bike, but it just wasn't to be today."

Bagnaia became the third Ducati rider to win this season, after Miller and Jorge Martin, by holding off Marc Marquez in a thrilling battle over the closing laps.

"I'm really happy for him," Miller said of his team-mate. "He's shown time after time that he's had speed, and let's say without the crash in Mugello, I think it could probably have happened there.

"But really happy for him to get it here, I don't think he expected it coming into the weekend, listening to his comments and talking with him before the grand prix. So really happy for him, really happy for the team. We've both had a victory now, so hopefully we can make it a few more before the year ends."

Their next chance will come in Ducati's home race at Misano this weekend.

"I expected Pecco to be incredibly fast, he's always quite fast there," said Miller. "We will see. I feel good going there, the bike is working really well this year, so I'm excited to be heading to, let's say, the home grand prix for Ducati."

Bagnaia is now second in the world championship, 53 points from Fabio Quartararo. Miller is fifth but now only 8 points behind Pramac Ducati's Johann Zarco.