A DISGRUNTLED Jack Miller has potentially thrown the 2020 MotoGP silly season into the air by revealing there is seemingly more to the delay in finalising his Ducati deal than he originally believed and that Jorge Lorenzo is the reason.
Only a few days after Miller – who rides a 2019 specification GP19 for the satellite Pramac team - notched up his second podium of the year after arguably the most complete MotoGP round of his career, the ongoing speculation into his 2020 plans have dragged on.
Originally joking in Brno that the contract ‘was in the post’, an evidently more perturbed Miller has arrived in Austria with information that Lorenzo – who joined Honda from Ducati over the winter – is potentially now a factor in his negotiations.
“I think there is some truth to the rumours about Lorenzo," he told journalists, including sister publication Crash.net. "For sure, he's looking at something because at the moment he can't ride that Honda. It's easy to tuck your tail between your legs and run back.”
Could Ducati really drop Jack Miller for Jorge Lorenzo?
Speaking in the press conference later – and looking rather sheepish as journalists persisted with questions that embroiled the rather bewildered Marc Marquez, Valentino Rossi, Andrea Dovizioso and Cal Crutchlow – Miller added.
“I thought we were waiting on paperwork but clearly that’s not the case, there might be something else behind it, I don’ t know yet. We’ll see. Once Jorge comes back for the Maldives or wherever he is, we’ll find out what I’m doing.
“At the minute I am trying to do the best that I can do. I’m not stressed, I feel if I keep riding like I am I will be riding here next year, we’ll just see where."
Why is Jorge Lorenzo wanting a shock return to Ducati?
Lorenzo’s sudden emergence will come as a surprise given he quit Ducati midway through the second year of his deal with the Italian marque – only to then reel off three victories in the ensuing races - in favour of a move to HRC in 2019. However, he was struggling to find his form even before an injury at Assen ruled him out for two months.
Though he hasn’t been present in the paddock as he continues his rehabilitation, it seems Lorenzo has been very busy behind the scenes to scope out Miller’s ride – one of only two yet to be confirmed along with Takaaki Nakagami’s LCR Honda spot.
Jack Miller 'not stressed' despite rumours
Frustrated that Lorenzo could seemingly swoop in on his ride, Miller suggests Ducati is entertaining the prospect rather than Francesco Guidotti’s Pramac team, which is also waiting on a final word.
"I think that Pramac love me, want to keep me, most people in Ducati want to keep me. I've got to make sense of why we're in Austria - quite well into the second half of the season and I've two podiums under my belt - and why I've still not signed a contract."
