Jack Miller switches from Suzuka to MotoGP at "a track I really like"

After a short break following the Suzuka 8 Hours, Jack Miller returns to MotoGP action as the 2025 season resumes in Austria this weekend.

Miller's MotoGP future is up in the air until Yamaha decide who will partner Toprak Razgatlioglu in the Pramac garage in 2026.

But while most premier-class riders were enjoying the summer break, Yamaha’s factory Suzuka entry of Miller, Andrea Locatelli and Katsuyuki Nakasuga finished runner-up to the HRC duo of Johann Zarco and Takumi Takahashi in the prestigious Japanese endurance race.

“The Suzuka 8 Hours has been a fantastic experience and to share the Yamaha with Nakasuga-san and Locatelli was wonderful. I wanted to win, but we were up against strong competition,” Miller said.

“This was my second time riding in the 8 Hours, and I got on the podium [after a fourth place with Honda in 2017]. I definitely want to participate in the 8 Hours again as a Yamaha rider and get my hands on that big trophy.

“It’s true that racing in Japan didn’t leave me much time for a vacation, but now it’s time to focus on the World Championship again and the Austrian GP.”

Miller claimed three premier-class podiums at the Red Bull Ring as a Ducati rider in 2020 and 2022, then finished fifth in the Sprints for KTM in 2023 and 2024.

“I’m feeling very motivated. The Red Bull Ring is a track I really like and where I’ve had some good results in the past,” the Australian added. “I’m curious to see how the Yamaha will perform there, hopefully we’ll be competitive right away and able to fight for some good points.”

Miller’s Pramac Yamaha team-mate Miguel Oliveira famously denied him victory in the 2020 Styrian GP after a last-corner battle also involving Pol Espargaro.

The Portuguese, who like Miller, is waiting to hear Yamaha's decision over a 2026 seat, said he has been able to able to recharge during the summer break after a run of three pointless GP weekends in a row.

“The last couple of races were tough, I won’t hide that, but I’m confident we can achieve good results both in Austria and Hungary,” Oliveira said. 

“They’ll be two very different challenges – one is a track we don’t know, and the other is, on paper, a bit tough for Yamaha – but we’re optimistic.”

With ten rounds to go, Miller sits 14th in the world championship as Yamaha’s second-best rider behind Fabio Quartararo in ninth.

Oliveira, who missed three early rounds due to injury, is 25th, while Alex Rins holds 18th for the factory team.

Yamaha has yet to win at the Red Bull Ring since it re-joined the MotoGP calendar in 2016, with Pramac team director Gino Borsoi acknowledging the challenge ahead:

“It’s a track that, on paper, isn’t the easiest for us at Yamaha, given its long straights and many hard acceleration zones. That said, it’s also true that the YZR-M1 has made progress during this period, so it’s reasonable to expect some improvements.”