Marco Bezzecchi
Michael Laverty feels Pramac ace Jack Miller showed his “unique” confidence to use slick tyres on a wet track during practice at the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix this Friday.
Miller was the first rider to make the move from wet tyres to slicks during MotoGP’s first on-track session at Goiania since 1989. The Pramac racer took to the circuit on a set of medium dry tyres with just over half an hour to go, just as the track started to dry after heavy rainfall.
The Goiania region has been hit with heavy rain all week, after MotoGP decided to stage the first Brazilian GP since 1992 towards the end of Brazil’s rainy season. Significant areas of the circuit also flooded ahead of the event and again on Friday, which caused delays to practice.
Ducati rider Francesco Bagnaia feared “big problems” if rain affected the Brazilian GP due to his concerns for the first and fourth sectors after walking around the track. And even after a few hours of sunshine, pockets of water still scattered the circuit as the surface dried slowly.
Pedro Acosta sets the pace in FP1 at the Brazilian Grand Prix – Can he go on to win in Goiania?
Michael Laverty praises Jack Miller’s bravery to use slick tyres in the wet at the Brazilian Grand Prix
Most riders elected to use Michelin’s wet-weather tyres throughout the first practice session at the Brazilian GP. But Miller’s bravery to use slick tyres far earlier than his peers impressed Laverty, despite the Pramac rider being multiple seconds a lap off the pace of those on wets.
READ MORE: All you need to know about the Brazilian Grand Prix, including Goiania stats
Laverty told TNT Sports 2 (20/03, 15:32): “The increased risk, you just have to be so precise. You have to be confident to do it, as well. There are not many who can do it the way that Jack can, and I’ve got to say it’s a unique ability that he’s got.”
Even factory Yamaha rider Alex Rins showed the Goiania circuit was too damp for slick tyres while Miller continued to circulate aboard the same YZR-M1 as the Spaniard. Rins flew into second place in the timesheets with 26 minutes left on the clock, while Miller was only P17.
Despite Miller’s lack of speed with the slick Michelin tyres, Laverty was not alone to laud the Australian for his bravery. Ducati team manager Davide Tardozzi also remarked that he dubs it “Jack’s moment” when his former rider gambles on slick tyres when a track is still too wet.
Tardozzi told TNT Sports with a smile on his face: “It’s too early, but Jack is Jack. We call that ‘Jack’s moment’. But we think it’s a bit early and don’t want to take the risk.”
Who is going to win the 2026 Brazilian Grand Prix?
Let us know why in the comments!
It took until the final five minutes of the first practice session at the Brazilian GP for another rider to join Miller on the slick Michelin tyres. The 31-year-old’s experiment showed his foes what the conditions were like, and he even nearly finished the session with the quickest lap.
While the likes of KTM’s Brad Binder and factory Yamaha duo Rins and Fabio Quartararo got to grips with their slick tyres, Miller put in a flying finale to finish FP1 in P2 to Pedro Acosta. A great last sector even saw the Australian end FP1 just 0.087s off the KTM rider’s fastest lap.
Receive racing news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
