Jack Miller: Acosta? KTM should have been allowed a fifth bike

‘It was KTM's issue and KTM solved it’. That was Jack Miller’s assessment of the Austrian factory’s announcement that rookie Pedro Acosta will replace Pol Espargaro in MotoGP next season.
Jack
Jack

With Moto2 title leader Acosta eager to join MotoGP but KTM’s four existing MotoGP riders already under contract for 2024, it was clear that someone would lose out.

“I didn't have any problem. It's not for me to worry about. It was KTM's issue and KTM solved it,” Miller said. “As I said all along, it's a nice problem to have [more riders than bikes] and they had to find a solution, simple as that. And they made the decision which they think is the right one.”

But the best solution, Miller believes, would have been for Dorna to allow KTM to use one of the ‘empty’ Suzuki grid places to run a fifth bike for Acosta in 2024.

“I mean, there's no doubt [Acosta] had to come to MotoGP. [KTM] tried everything in their power I think to get a fifth bike and they weren't given it. So unfortunately their hands were kind of tied there in what they had to do.”

The Australian added: “We're 22 bikes on the grid full time [now]. We had a company [Suzuki] pull out last year and another two companies that are, let's say, not expressing a massive amount of interest.

“So when you have a company [like KTM] that's willing to pay everything just to get an extra bike on the grid, why not?”

Pol Espargaro will now switch to test and wild-card duties next season, with Acosta riding in GASGAS colours alongside Augusto Fernandez and Miller continuing in the Red Bull KTM team with Brad Binder.

Read More