Jack Miller once proved he was the smartest wet-weather rider in MotoGP at a race that never happened

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Few MotoGP races have been cancelled over the last decade, with events often shortened to help maintain rider safety.

However, one year, that wasn’t possible at the British Grand Prix, as the combination of rain and a wet surface ruined any hope of competitive action.

Riding for Pramac at the time, as he does now, Jack Miller qualified ninth on the Saturday, nearly two seconds behind pole-sitter Jorge Lorenzo.

Strangely enough, the MotoGP pole position time was actually slower than that set by the Moto2 bikes that day, with Francesco Bagnaia leading the way in the lower category.

Fast forward seven years, and Miller is worried about his MotoGP future as he waits to hear whether or not he will be on the grid in 2026.

Miller’s ‘natural landing place’ has emerged and it appears that he also has options outside of the premier class if he wants to continue racing, but the decision will be his to make.

READ MORE: Jack Miller once feared leaving a MotoGP race ‘alive’ after incident he’ll ‘never forget’

Jack Miller proved he was the smartest wet-weather rider at the 2018 British Grand Prix

Miller snubbed Marc Marquez in his dream grid and picked fellow countryman Mick Doohan instead to line up alongside.

Australians are big fans of motorcycle racing, but the climate they live within doesn’t often see as much rain as the Silverstone circuit does.

Although the race was cancelled in 2018, Miller told TNT Sports’ Neil Hodgson at the time that he wanted to go out and ride because he had passed so many riders warming up. It proved how smart he was at getting his bike to work in the wet.

“I went out, I’m seeing a lot of guys complaining about spinning, complaining about this, that, and the other,” he said.

“I passed four guys before turn two, simply because they’re out cruising around and running in deep puddles. I went out and pushed on my outlap. My brakes got up to temperature straight away.

“I didn’t have a problem stopping the bike at the back straight. I looked for the dry parts. My tyres were working fine, I was on the mediums. I think a lot of guys, like you say, are doing it because it’s a little risky.”

READ MORE: Carlo Pernat touts the ‘reasons’ Yamaha could drop Alex Rins and it’s not Jack Miller replacing him

What did Jack Miller achieve for the rest of the 2018 MotoGP season?

Between 2017 and 2023, 2018 would actually end up being Miller’s most difficult campaign as he secured a best result of fourth and finished 13th in the standings.

His first podium would follow in 2019, but the final seven races of 2018 after Silverstone saw no results better than seventh.

It was a real test for him, but sticking around paid dividends as he was promoted to Ducati’s factory team for 2021.

His experience is strong and now aged 30, he has 10 years of riding experience and no terrible track record of injury. He should have some years of racing left ahead of him.