KTM boss comments on “pressure” for Jack Miller as rider market decisions to be made early

With Pedro Acosta just one of many riders potentially waiting in the wings, Jack Miller will have a lot of pressure to retain his factory MotoGP seat at KTM.

Like most of the grid, Miller is set to be out of contract at the end of this season, so big performances will be needed.

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Most manufacturers will be looking to secure deals as early as possible which would give them the chance of securing the best talents, but for someone like Miller, that means more pressure to start the season in a good way.

“It’s a kind of pressure that comes to everyone a little bit too soon,” said Guidotti when speaking to MotoGP.com. “We have to make decisions in the first part of the season and sometimes this is not the best for the riders and also for us that we have to make a decision after a few races.

“It’s something that everyone would like to change but we can’t because there are a lot of factors that we have to consider for the choice, not least we have to be ready right after the first race of the season to start the new season, so we have to be ready soon.”

Miller was very strong at times in 2023, but with Brad Binder tied into a multi-year deal, it’s his factory seat that is up for grabs in the immediate future.

But Guidotti also highlighted the fact that Miller could use this pressure to his advantage and look elsewhere, if his performances are good enough to gather interest from other teams.

“It’s not like years ago when we had a proper winter break, where we could deal with everything and be ready in February to go out again with the new bikes and new riders,” added Guidotti. 

“Everything happens very soon at the end of the season, so the decisions need to be made soon during the current season.

“This is a sort of pressure that, as I said, no one likes. But everyone who works in this environment, in this world, needs to get used to this daily pressure. It’s part of our jobs.

“Jack, like almost all of the grid, is on the market. Also for him it can be an opportunity. It depends how the rider feels this pressure.

“I don’t think he wants to look around, he’s fully committed to staying with us, he likes being here so much, so I’d like to think that he feels the pressure to show everybody, to show himself, the potential.”