Jack Miller tipped to avoid MotoGP axe - despite admitting “silly mistakes”

Jack Miller has received support to retain his MotoGP race seat in 2026.

Pramac Yamaha have completed the major signing of Toprak Razgatlioglu for next year, but have yet to confirm who his teammate will be.

Both of Pramac’s current riders - Miller and Miguel Oliveira - have a final opportunity to impress their employers at this weekend’s Czech MotoGP before a decision is made about who will be kept.

Miller delivered a well-timed reminder of what he can do with a P5 finish in the sprint race at the Sachsenring last weekend.

He is 12th in the MotoGP standings while teammate Oliveira is a lowly 23rd.

Miller told TNT Sports after his impressive sprint in Germany: “You are always racing to keep your seat.

“But I feel like, quite a few times this year, there have been decent results like this, like in Texas.

“Yes, we have made some silly mistakes as well. But there are teething issues with the new bike.

“The pace is good. The speed is still there. We are still trying to understand and progress this new machine.

“We’ll wait and see what happens on the other side. We can’t do f*** all about that!”

Miller was backed to be retained by Pramac by TNT Sports’ Michael Laverty.

“It’s a tough one when you look at the results on paper, then the development and what Jack has brought to the package,” Laverty said.

“Miguel has been unlucky. He is the most unfortunate rider on the grid. He has been taken out so many times through no fault of his own.

“If I’m Paolo Pavesio thinking about the Yamaha bigger picture, I am signing Jack Miller.”

Both Miller and Oliveira were signed this year for the new-look Pramac team who swapped Ducati for Yamaha.

Together they brought experience of riding the Ducati, KTM, Honda and Aprilia.

But the star signing of World Superbikes’ ruler Razgatlioglu means at least one rider must be axed.

A decision is expected during the summer break.

Final chance to impress Pramac Yamaha

Oliveira enters Brno this weekend knowing it is his final race weekend to show Pramac what he can offer while they decide their 2026 MotoGP rider line-up.

He held a private test at the circuit two weeks ago where he worked on the set-up of his Yamaha, giving him a slight edge over his rivals.

“We had two very productive days of testing in Brno and finished with good feelings overall,” Oliveira said.

“That said, it‘s always hard to evaluate everything without being able to compare yourself to the full field.

“Still, having so many laps under our belt should help — we hope to start strong already from Friday, which would really help us with the rest of the weekend.”

Team boss Gino Borsoi said: “I‘m really curious to see how things go this weekend in Brno. Thanks to the two days of testing, Miguel has a solid base to start from, while Jack, like most of the field, will need to reacquaint himself with the track — especially with the new asphalt.

“Since few riders have tested here, I hope that gives us the edge to get a strong result.”

Miller added: “I‘m coming off a solid weekend where I felt good on the bike and picked up points in both races. Even if I would‘ve liked to stay closer to Fabio (Quartararo), who did a great job.

“I‘m happy to be back in Brno — I love this place. I got a podium here in 2019 and it‘s such a mega track, especially on a MotoGP bike.

“They‘ve resurfaced it, and Miguel tested here recently and seemed quick. I can‘t wait to get on track.”