JEREZ, Spain – Ducati’s Jack Miller silenced his doubters and earned his first MotoGP triumph since 2016 with a decisive victory Sunday at Circuito de Jerez.
Miller led early from the third starting position, only to give up the lead to polesitter Fabio Quartararo on the fourth circuit. However, Miller’s day was far from done.
The Australian rider pounced as a problem saw Quartararo suddenly lose pace. Miller stayed on the gas, running down Quartararo to take the lead with 10 laps left. Miller led the rest of the way, earning his second MotoGP triumph and first in dry conditions.
“The last two weeks have been tough for me. I couldn’t trust myself and what I can do on the bike,” Miller said. “Today, when I saw Quartararo struggling, I thought I could try to take the lead, even though I wasn’t so confident that I could stay in the lead for so many laps. But finally, I did it and took my first win with Ducati. I can’t thank Ducati enough for giving me this opportunity. Wearing these colours is a dream come true for me, and it means a lot. Thank you, Gigi, Paolo, Davide, Claudio and the whole team for having always believed in me.”
It was a big day in the Ducati camp, as Miller’s teammate Francesco Bagnaia chased him across the line in second to give the Ducati team a sweep of the top-two positions for the first time in three years.
Franco Morbidelli crossed the line in third for Petronas Yamaha SRT, with Takaaki Nakagami and Joan Mir completing the top-five.