Jack Miller adamant that ‘phenomenal’ MotoGP rider is still underrated after more than 100 races

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Jack Miller lost his seat at the Ducati factory team at the end of the 2022 season. Miller had competed on Desmosedici motorcycles for five straight seasons, but the team opted to replace him with Enea Bastianini.

After graduating from Pramac, Miller won three races for the Bologna outfit and stood on the podium 12 times in red. But the 76-point deficit to world champion Francesco Bagnaia in 2022 was costly.

From there, the Australian moved to KTM, where he spent two years before once again losing his ride. Miller subsequently returned to Pramac, though they’re now aligned with Yamaha instead.

Speaking on the Gypsy Tales podcast, he gave his thoughts on some of the sport’s biggest names. Miller marvelled at Marc Marquez’s physique, with the Spaniard looking as strong as ever on the class-leading Ducati.

Jack Miller explains what makes Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia special

Miller was also asked about his former Ducati teammate Bagnaia. The no. 63 rider has come under heavy scrutiny so far this season after immediately falling behind new signing Marquez.

Bagnaia has made his best-ever start to a season statistically, but he’s still 31 points behind Marquez ahead of this weekend’s Grand Prix of the Americas.

However, Miller regards the two-time world champion as a ‘phenomenal’ rider. And despite his success, he still believes that the Italian doesn’t get enough credit, 109 races into his career.

Asked if Bagnaia was underrated, Miller replied: “Absolutely, yeah. I just know the ability that he has, he’s not an in-your-face kind of guy, but his ability on a motorcycle is pretty phenomenal. He does very subtle things that you don’t see.

“Some of the things he does on a bike… I’m thinking, ‘I wish I could do that’. I wish I would prepare more, I wish I would be more out with my shoulders.

“The way he turns the bike without using the lean angle to eliminate the risk and the stress on the tyre, while getting the same benefit, is really phenomenal.

“He’s a phenomenal rider in that way, and he’s very user-friendly with his body in the way that he doesn’t force it. He lets it come to him.”

Pecco Bagnaia’s father hints Valentino Rossi is responsible for his son’s negative image

Michael Laverty says ‘everyone’ is wrong about Bagnaia despite the widening gap to Marquez. He’s praised the 28-year-old’s resilience and his ability to bring home significant points on difficult weekends.

The consensus is that Bagnaia will present a renewed challenge to Marquez in Qatar and Spain, two venues where he’s historically been strong. If he can keep the deficit manageable until then, he could start to improve his title prospects.

While it doesn’t necessarily look realistic right now, beating Marquez would be a legacy-defining achievement for Bagnaia. It would also delight his mentor Valentino Rossi.

However, Bagnaia’s father says his ties to Rossi have tarnished his image among some sections of MotoGP fans. The Doctor is arguably the biggest name in the sport’s history, but he was also intensely divisive.