Jack Miller: "I apologise to the team"
After falling from third place when he was caught out by the medium front tyre on lap 2 of the Sprint, Miller retuned to the soft for Sunday’s main event.
The Australian took the fight to early leader Marc Marquez, putting his Red Bull KTM into the lead from lap 3 to 10.
But just as Miller was perhaps starting to smell the sea breeze from the boat pictured on the side of his pit box, a bet with wife Ruby for when he takes a debut RC16 win, his rivals “seemed to be able to knock it up a gear”.
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Miller dropped swiftly back to seventh, and spent the closing stages in a battle with team-mate Brad Binder, before falling with three laps to go.
“Obviously not the way we wanted to end things here,” Miller said. “We had great pace all weekend and led a decent handful of laps but when the other boys came past they seemed to be able to knock-it-up a gear.
“I was fading a little bit but also preserving the left side of the tyre and I knew I had a bit left at the end. I then used too much kerb on the inside of Turn 4 and that was all she wrote. I cut it tight just a little bit too much.
“I tried to hang on to it, pick it up and get a point, come away from the weekend with at least something, but it wasn't to be.”
The Australian, fastest on Friday and qualifying fourth on the grid, added:
“I had a good feeling all weekend, the bike was working well all weekend, I made a stupid decision [on Saturday] with the medium front tyre, and cost myself a decent result in the sprint race.
“Put the soft front in today, I felt mega again all the way through. Had good feedback at least. Just a weekend of mistakes on my behalf. Which isn't good enough, I apologise to the team and everyone for that, and we'll try to be better in Mugello. “
Miller has now dropped to equal seventh in the world championship with Maverick Vinales, who also crashed out.
Binder finished in sixth place and is third in the standings.
