Pramac Yamaha’s Jack Miller scored his first sprint points of the season in front of an “unreal” home crowd in his final MotoGP Australian Grand Prix.
The four-time MotoGP race winner has been strong all weekend at Phillip Island, with the Yamaha’s good turning ability helping negate some of its top speed deficit.
Miller put his M1 fifth on the grid in mixed conditions in qualifying and went on to finish the sprint seventh, marking his first points on a Saturday all season.
“Like relearning the track”
Jack Miller, 2026 Australian MotoGP.
© Gold and Goose
The Pramac rider says the change in wind direction compared to Friday essentially made the first laps a learning experience.
He also noted that he tried to go with Pedro Acosta for fifth, but wound up in a “yo-yo” situation when KTM team-mate Brad Binder overtook him.
“Finally, this season we got some points in a sprint, which was nice,” he said.
“Nah, happy, honestly, with the performance in the dry. It was always going to be a little bit tougher, but I felt like I rode a good race, didn’t make any mistakes.
“The bike was wokring relatively well, turning pretty good.
“The wind had changed direction this afternoon compared to what we were used to yesterday afternoon.
“So, it was kind of like relearning the track a little bit at the beginning of the race.
“But I felt pretty good, felt like I rode a good race. I tried to get the latch into the back of Pedro after getting past [Johann] Zarco, but I wasn’t able to do so.
“The first time I let out on the front straight, Brad came past and you’re kind of playing the yo-yo effect.
“We’re lacking quite a bit of top speed, so then you are yo-yoing off the guys and catching back in the faster corners, where I was able to carry a bit of momentum. But, all in all, it’s been a good day here.”
Jack Miller, Pramac Yamaha, 2026 Australian MotoGP
© Gold and Goose
Miller salutes “unreal” Phillip Island crowd
This weekend marks the final Australian Grand Prix at Phillip Island before the race moves to Adelaide in 2027.
It also coincides with Miller’s final home race as a MotoGP rider, though he’ll return to Phillip Island for a final time in 2027 when he moves to World Superbikes.
“I took my time on the in-lap to salute the crowd, and even today the turnout was massive.
“The fences were packed all the way around the circuit.
“It‘s unreal to see the Australian fans turning it on for Phillip Island, and I‘m sure there will be even more people here tomorrow.
“It looks like it could be another great day for Australian riders, too, with some of us in strong positions on the grid. As for me, we‘ll see what tomorrow brings.”
Lewis joined the Crash.net team in August of 2024 having been a journalist for five years covering MotoGP for the Motorsport Network. In February of 2026, he became Head of Editorial.