Miller on FP1 mishap: 'Oh, you idiot!'
Jack Miller explained the issue that led to race direction showing a black flag with his number during MotoGP FP1, saying "I just got caught up in the moment I guess" as he repeatedly used the wrong chicane in the course's final sector.
For four consecutive laps on Friday morning, the Australian used the incorrect layout that is in place for F1, which MotoGP used in 2016, leading his team to signal for him to return to pit lane. Eventually, he was shown a black flag and later revealed he only recognised his error when Marc Marquez and Cal Crutchlow instructed him to follow.
"I was just warming up [my tyres]!" he joked when asked what had happened. "I went out on the slicks, I was one of the first ones to go out on slicks and I hadn't really been out on wets at all, so I didn't realise how the track conditions were.
"I was trying to get, especially the rear tyre temperature and as I was doing that, just caught up in the moment I guess, just starting pushing on the track I knew and it was the wrong one. I didn't even think of it, I got to turn one, I saw the black flags and then Cal and Marc, I was looking at the bike and they came past and they were smacking themselves on the bumps.
"All of a sudden they followed me and I'm thinking 'Jeez, this is strange, they're always sitting up, not letting me follow so, I got in behind, and when I got to that chicane I seen, that's when I knew I messed up basically, I was like 'Oh you idiot, hit me later you moron' or whatever, but yeah anyway..."
On the new chicane that was used on Friday, and will possibly be discarded for Saturday and Sunday, Miller continued, "The F1 layout definitely [is better]," he said, referencing the layout used for last year's race.
"This new MotoGP one is not the nicest corner. Also, the way it is, it's quite more off camber than the Formula 1 chicane and that is creating more crashes. I mean you saw Alvaro [Bautista] when he crashed there today, his bike was on the track.
"I mean imagine if this was happening throughout in the race, I don't think it is as safe as the option we've had. Okay, with the Formula 1 layout we got closer to the wall, but you have to slow down more, the track is a little bit more made for racing, where the other one seems like an afterthought, like 'oh, we can just put this here and it'll work'. It is not really working so well."
Miller ended Friday in 17th, 1.3s off Marquez's fastest time of the day. As was the case last time out at Mugello, the 22-year old found it difficult to adapt to Michelin's front tyre.
"Yeah, not bad still struggling a little bit with the front-tyre, like we had in Mugello, but I much preferred the tyre we had in Jerez, the 70 that we had in Jerez, the 70 that we had in Mugello and the 70 we've had here, I don't really feel like the same casing to me but we'll keep working at it and see. I've got a Michelin dinner tonight so I'll definitely be feeding it to the Frenchie's."
