Miller hits out at claim title win would be diminished without Marquez

Jack Miller has branded any suggestion the 2020 MotoGP World Championship would be in any way diminished without Marc Marquez competing in all rounds as ‘complete crock’.

Marquez was expected to be sidelined for this weekend’s Andalucia MotoGP after injuring his arm in an accident during the closing stages of Sunday’s Spanish MotoGP.

Nevertheless, the six-time MotoGP world champion will attempt a remarkable comeback this weekend by taking to the track on Saturday in FP3, just four days after undergoing surgery on the fractured humerus.

Prior to that confirmation however, suggestions were raised by some that an alternative winner wouldn’t be as worthy if it was achieved in part because of Marquez’s injury and the fewer than usual events.

This included Team HRC boss Alberto Puig, who told DAZN ‘honestly I think if it’s not Marc the one that wins the title, I don’t think that whoever wins will feel 100% proud or at least shouldn't feel 100% satisfied knowing that the number 1 rider didn't participate in all the GPs.’

While riders have played down the suggestion, not least because Marquez is now confirmed to be competing, Pramac Ducati’s Miller dismissed the notion, saying the risk of injury is present for anyone and should have no bearing on the validity of another rider’s result.

“I have heard two people ask questions about the relative value of this championship and it is a complete crock. We all started on Friday [Wednesday], 100% fit, if one person gets injured it doesn’t matter… We all get injured, they keep saying it is not valid, we all have the same opportunity to get injured and that’s the risk you take.”

His contemporaries took a more philosophical view, with Fabio Quartararo – the early championship leader following his win last weekend – saying they are focused on the same goal regardless of season length.

“Our job is to make the best in every single race. If there is 10 races in the championship, we will do our best for 10 races. You need to focus on yourself and not the other riders.

Meanwhile, Maverick Vinales speculated that if he is fit enough to return so soon after the accident then it becomes a moot point.

“He’s here, so there is no problem. For other riders you are not happy to see a rider with an injury or have a scary crash, we all want to be on track and fight together, but he is here and this makes us very happy because it means he is quite good. The other guys are here (Crutchlow, Rins) so it means they have made a fast recovery, it is always great to have them on track.”