It was a
Sprint that delivered less than what seemed possible for the Prima Pramac
Yamaha team, particularly with Jack Miller. Though still struggling over one
lap — he qualified 4th in Q1 and started 14th on the grid — his race pace on
the 5.077 meters of the Motorland Aragon circuit looked very promising.
At
lights out, Miller made a strong start, expertly navigating the chaos of the
opening corners to complete Lap 1 in 11th, with the points zone in reach.
However, just a few turns later at Turn 12, while attempting to pass Joan Mir,
contact was made. Mir crashed (unhurt), and Miller ran wide, dropping back to
15th. After having examined the tv footage, Race Direction handed Miller a
long-lap penalty, which he served on Lap 6, rejoining in 16th.
Equipped with a
medium rear tire — a strategic choice compared to most rivals on softs — Miller
kept pushing in the closing laps, regaining three positions to finish 13th. Miguel
Oliveira, starting 16th and also on the medium rear tire, showed progress as he
battled throughout the race with fellow Yamaha riders Augusto Fernandez and
Alex Rins. His 15th-place finish reflects his improving physical condition and
growing confidence on the YZR-M1 following his return from injury.
Thanks to
the tire performance data gathered in the Sprint, both riders will take on tomorrow’s
23 laps race race with a clearer understanding of race pace and tire
management, setting realistic sights on scoring points.
In the Championship standings
after the Sprint Race, Miller remains 16th overall with 29 points while Oliveira,
with 2 points, is 23rd overall. In the Constructor championship, Yamaha is 5th
with 84 points and in the Team standings Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP is 11th
with 34 points.
MotoGP –
Aragon GP schedule: Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up; 14.00 Race (23 laps – 116,77 km)
It was a Sprint that delivered less than what seemed possible for the Prima Pramac Yamaha team, particularly with Jack Miller. Though still struggling over one lap — he qualified 4th in Q1 and started 14th on the grid — his race pace on the 5.077 meters of the Motorland Aragon circuit looked very promising.
At lights out, Miller made a strong start, expertly navigating the chaos of the opening corners to complete Lap 1 in 11th, with the points zone in reach. However, just a few turns later at Turn 12, while attempting to pass Joan Mir, contact was made. Mir crashed (unhurt), and Miller ran wide, dropping back to 15th. After having examined the tv footage, Race Direction handed Miller a long-lap penalty, which he served on Lap 6, rejoining in 16th.
Equipped with a medium rear tire — a strategic choice compared to most rivals on softs — Miller kept pushing in the closing laps, regaining three positions to finish 13th. Miguel Oliveira, starting 16th and also on the medium rear tire, showed progress as he battled throughout the race with fellow Yamaha riders Augusto Fernandez and Alex Rins. His 15th-place finish reflects his improving physical condition and growing confidence on the YZR-M1 following his return from injury.
Thanks to the tire performance data gathered in the Sprint, both riders will take on tomorrow’s 23 laps race race with a clearer understanding of race pace and tire management, setting realistic sights on scoring points.
In the Championship standings after the Sprint Race, Miller remains 16th overall with 29 points while Oliveira, with 2 points, is 23rd overall. In the Constructor championship, Yamaha is 5th with 84 points and in the Team standings Prima Pramac Yamaha MotoGP is 11th with 34 points.
MotoGP – Aragon GP schedule:
Sunday: 9.40 Warm-up; 14.00 Race (23 laps – 116,77 km)