Marco Bezzecchi
Cal Crutchlow predicted Jack Miller to be ‘towards his peak’ when he signed with KTM in 2023, but the Aussie did not meet expectations.
After spending five years with Ducati and two years as their factory rider alongside Pecco Bagnaia, Miller made the switch to KTM for the 2023 season. He had been hugely successful with the Borgo Panigale outfit, winning three races and finishing a career-best fourth in 2021.
But with Enea Bastianini joining the team in 2023, he traded the factory red of Ducati for the factory orange of KTM. After signing the deal, Crutchlow anticipated a successful stint for Miller, but it was anything but.
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Cal Crutchlow thought Jack Miller would be ‘towards his peak’ at KTM – he was wrong
Speaking on MotoGP’s Last on the Brakes podcast, the former Yamaha rider offered his thoughts on the move: “I speak with Jack most weeks, and he’s a great rider, a great talent, and a great person, and he thoroughly deserves it.
“He deserves to be in a factory team again. Obviously, he’s had many years at Ducati, riding for the Pramac team and now for the factory team.
“The thing is these young kids coming up, well, not kids, I don’t want to talk about Jorge Martin, Bastianini, Di Giannantonio as kids, or Bezzecchi or whoever. But they’re younger than him, and I think it was the perfect change for Jack. He’s had some years in Ducati, he’s done very, very well.
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“He will be in that time that, he’s not at his peak. He’s just before his peak, so I think the move that he’s making now to KTM is great for him, because I think that he will do some years there and be towards his peak.
“He’ll be great straightaway, but it’s whether they can make that bike a race-winning bike every week. But you know Jack, he’ll throw it all in. I’m pleased that he’s found a deal that he’s happy with and I think he’ll do very, very well.”
Instead, in his two years with KTM, Miller grabbed just one podium and finished no better than 11th in the standings. Miller struggled with chatter issues with the RC16 and could not extract top results.
He left the team at the end of 2024, and it had severely damaged his stock in MotoGP. Pramac offered Miller a ‘prove-it’ contract in 2025, and now in 2026, his career is hanging by a thread.
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Will Jack Miller stay in MotoGP in 2027?
With Toprak Razgatlioglu nailed down with Pramac for 2027, only one seat remains with the Tuscany-based team. Miller is under pressure to keep his seat.
Moto2’s Izan Guevara is being heavily linked with Pramac next season, with the Spaniard hugely impressing in the intermediate class. Miller is 23rd in the standings after five rounds in 2026, meaning he will need a dramatic improvement if he is to stay with the team.
Miller is speaking to other teams while Pramac weigh up their options. Whether the Aussie can land another deal in MotoGP in 2027 is to be seen, but he is keen to keep racing.
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