Jack Miller stated that after encountering a difficult issue with the medium tire in the MotoEvent race, he expected all riders to switch to the hard tire. He reported that the Yamaha team plans to request a 20-minute warm-up period to prepare for the hard tire that has not been used during the weekend.
Tire Management and Advantages
Jack Miller expressed that the soft tire could not provide the increased grip that some manufacturers achieve, and therefore he chose the medium tire. Miller stated that this situation, although performing well on the right side, meant that the middle section was completely full of bumps. He emphasized that this was not as good as Pecco's performance, but it was not far from being good.
With the soft tire, we cannot achieve the increased grip that some other manufacturers achieve during the bike's lean or during braking. That is why I chose the medium tire. Especially the right side was still performing well, but the middle section was completely full of bumps. It was not as good as Pecco's, but it was not far from being good.
Necessity of Hard Tires and Technical Changes
After the Sprint race, the tire choice for Sunday was changed. Jack Miller indicated that the hard tire would become mandatory for the race.
We will all be on hard tires tomorrow. I can almost guarantee this.
Michelin, while evaluating the soft tire alternatives, maintained the possibility of using medium and hard tires and emphasized the recommendation of the hard tire. However, the fact that the hard tire has not been used during the weekend poses a problem for the teams. Furthermore, since the hard tire contains a reinforced carcass used in Austria, it may require readjustment of the motorcycle settings.
Warm-up Time and Electronic Settings
Yamaha technical director Max Bartolini stated that if the hard tire is mandatory, they want to extend the warm-up session time on Sunday morning to 20 minutes. Jack Miller said that this would also require changes to the electronic settings.
I know Max will request a 20-minute warm-up if necessary. We need to understand how we should behave because the electronic map will be completely different. All the work we did during the week will no longer be suitable. We will try to adapt as quickly as possible tomorrow morning.
Miller felt that it would not provide enough information for the race because even an extended warm-up might be insufficient due to different temperatures and limited laps.
A RACE CAN TURN INTO A PIT STOP. Do you know what would be better? Rain. That way we wouldn't have to deal with it. I will pray tonight, but I checked the weather forecast, it will not rain.
In the Japan GP race, the issues with tire wear during the Sprint race and the effect of the worn asphalt on the tires in the MotoEvent race determined the tire strategy, which is one of the most important factors for the weekend.
Figures
- Jack Miller finished in 19th place with 28 points in the 2026 [MotoGP] season (Pramac Racing).
- Archive: Two stoppie demonstrations by Jack Miller in Motegi (October 2, 2026)
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Go to sourceCompiled by Şükrü Utku Poyraz
