KTM’s motorsport director Pit Beirer feels Jack Miller’s MotoGP career hasn’t raced its last lap, despite overlooking the Australian for all four seats across KTM’s two teams for the 2025 season.
Spanish rookie sensation Pedro Acosta was promoted into Miller’s seat at the factory KTM team for next year during the most recent Grand Prix at Mugello in Italy, while last week, KTM announced that its second team – currently under the GasGas moniker – will be rebranded as Tech 3 KTM for next year, with current riders Enea Bastianini (Ducati) and Maverick Vinales (Aprilia) forming a potent line-up of Grand Prix winners.
Every MotoGP qualifying, practice and race LIVE and ad-break free from lights out to the chequered flag. New to Kayo? Start Your Free Trial Today >
The signings of current Ducati rider Bastianini and Vinales, who won the Americas Grand Prix for Aprilia in April to prevent a Ducati clean sweep of every race this season, meant Miller’s two-year tenure at KTM will end at the conclusion of 2024, with Honda his only likely destination if his MotoGP career is to continue into an 11th campaign.
MORE MOTOGP NEWS
WINNERS AND LOSERS Marquez, Martin, and making sense of a mad silly season
‘THE LEVEL IS RIDICULOUS’ The stats that explain MotoGP’s fastest season ever
In a video call to media after the Bastianini/Vinales announcements, Beirer praised Miller’s contribution to KTM’s ascension, while admitting pressure in an overheated rider market forced KTM’s hand to end their relationship with the Australian and current GasGas rider Augusto Fernandez just seven races into a 20-round season.
The MotoGP silly season went stratospheric after Mugello, with world championship leader Jorge Martin signing with Aprilia for 2025, and Marc Marquez inking a deal to ride for the factory Ducati team alongside reigning world champion Francesco Bagnaia, replacing Bastianini at the sport’s benchmark team.
“Mugello was kind of the moment, because everything happened really quick,” Beirer explained.
“The window to get these two boys [Bastianini and Vinales] on board was really, really short. But this also means giving up on two riders [Miller and Fernandez] who are with us at the moment. Giving up on Jack and Augusto is really sad.
“I thought we could give a bit longer to both of the boys, but the market was so much under pressure. If you didn’t take the chance in that one week, you just wouldn’t have those chances anymore – so we took the hard decision to move forward.”
Beirer said Miller, who he signed from Ducati in 2022, hasn’t reaped the on-track benefits of his behind-the-scenes development of the RC16 machine.
The 29-year-old took one podium and finished 11th overall last season, but his first seven Grands Prix of 2024 have seen his production plummet, Miller scoring just 27 points to sit 16th in the standings and on track for his worst result since his sophomore season in 2016 (18th).
“Jack is not done yet,” Beirer said.
“I really was hoping that we could get Jack back on the level where he should be – in Mugello, being out of the points, that’s not where Jack Miller should be.
“No matter what the future brings, we have to turn that around, because that’s not how we’re going to end our relationship.
“It’s no secret – I’ve said it before – Jack, his crew chief [Christian Pupulin] and then the team, they did something to the bike which we never did before. At the beginning of last year, they extended the potential of KTM. They showed us new things where we didn’t want to go with the KTM before, so he made us better.
“But already last year in the second part of the season, [teammate] Brad [Binder] could benefit much more from what Jack did to the bike than Jack himself. Jack started to have problems during last year and we could never recover from that.
“Jack made our bike better, and it looks like at the moment he’s maybe the last one to benefit from that.”
MORE MOTOGP COVERAGE
HELLO, RETRO The five iconic designs that should be revived as MotoGP turns back the clock
‘GAVE ME S**T’ Ricciardo, Quartararo, and the selfie that sparked a friendship
Beirer said helping Miller to recapture the form and consistency that has eluded him in 2024 will be a focus from the next round, the Dutch TT at Assen (June 30), and that an uptick in Miller’s fortunes would benefit both parties.
“That’s the target, to get him back, to give him also the platform to shine because I want him to stay in MotoGP,” Beirer said.
“I want him to have a good future and find a good ride. The better he can perform with us, it’s win-win. We get better results, and it hopefully helps him also to get a good future in this sport.”