Marco Bezzecchi
Jack Miller says the start of the 2026 MotoGP campaign has been like a ‘pre-season’ for Yamaha. Miller is the only rider to compete in every race so far without scoring a point.
Pramac teammate Toprak Razgatlioglu has only managed one, while factory rider Alex Rins has three. Fabio Quartararo leads the way on 11, but that’s only enough for 16th in the championship.
Yamaha tried to play down expectations for the first half of the season after switching from an inline four engine to a brand-new V4 in 2026, but the extent of their struggles has still been a surprise.
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Speaking to TNT Sports before the Spanish Grand Prix, Miller said that Yamaha are still in a testing phase, four rounds into the season.
In terms of scoring points, it’s a matter of taking opportunities when they arise. Miller took a characteristic gamble by staying out on dry tyres when it rained during Saturday’s Sprint, but it backfired as he slipped to P16.
He would then finish 18th on Sunday, only beating penalised teammate Razgatlioglu and wildcard entrant Augusto Fernandez. The Australian was almost eight seconds away from the points places.
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“At this stage, we’ve had a pre-season, and that’s about it,” Miller said. “It’s very much in a development phase, but at the same time, [when] we have conditions thrown at us like we did yesterday, we try and make most of it.
“Unfortunately, I got a little bit optimistic on the laps, trying to stay out there as long as you could. We made a step this weekend. We had a three-week break and I believe we’ve made a little step.
“It’s clear we need more but that’s par for the course with a bike that’s in development like this.”
What Jack Miller said after trying ‘new bits’ at Jerez test
Quartararo sounded extremely pessimistic about Yamaha after finishing 14th. He said the team were not making any progress.
However, Miller said he now has a ‘decent’ base at Pramac ahead of the French Grand Prix after trialling some new parts. He set a 1:37.008 to go 17th fastest, only a fraction shy of his best time from the race weekend.
“Busy Monday,” Miller wrote on Instagram. “Tried a few new bits, went back over the weekend and made sure we’re moving in the right direction.
“Good to do it without the pressure of racing and just focus on understanding everything properly. Base is in a decent place, now it’s about building from there.”
TNT pundit Neil Hodgson has said that Miller is toeing the ‘corporate’ line at Yamaha this year, echoing the messages of the team hierarchy in a bid to earn a contract extension.
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