Jack Miller set to bid farewell to MotoGP: An unusual GP career comes to an end

When the MotoGP season heads to Misano this coming weekend for the 14th of 22 rounds, the countdown will finally begin for Jack Miller. The Australian has just nine Grand Prix weekends left in the premier class, provided the Qatar GP can go ahead. From 2027, the 31-year-old will be turning a new page and moving to the World Superbike Championship with Yamaha.

This marks the end of one of the most unusual MotoGP careers in recent memory. Miller made his way into the premier class in 2015 via a route that is almost unimaginable today: the Australian skipped Moto2 entirely and moved straight up from Moto3 to MotoGP.

A bold move: Honda offered Miller a three-year contract in MotoGP

In the 2014 Moto3 season, Miller had won six Grands Prix with Red Bull KTM Ajo and fought for the world title right up to the season finale. In the end, he was pipped to the title by Alex Márquez by a mere two points. Honda nevertheless recognised his potential and took a gamble on the then 20-year-old, promoting him directly to the premier class.

Jack Miller kam 2015 aus der Moto3 direkt in die MotoGP

Foto: Gold & Goose

As expected, his rookie season in 2015 proved difficult, though this was also down to the underperforming Honda RC213V-RS. Yet as early as the following year, Miller – now riding a full-fledged MotoGP Honda – provided one of the season’s biggest surprises. At the rain-soaked Grand Prix in Assen, he held his own against the established world elite and celebrated his first victory in the premier class on the Marc VDS Team’s Honda.

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That success remained a one-off highlight during his time with Honda. Miller took the decisive step forward after switching to Pramac-Ducati for the 2018 season. He secured his first MotoGP pole position as early as the second race weekend in Argentina. Five podium finishes followed in 2019, with four more added in 2020.

Assen 2016: Jack Miller feiert seinen ersten MotoGP-Sieg

Foto: Gold & Goose

His performances convinced Ducati to promote Miller to the factory team for 2021. Together with Francesco Bagnaia, he formed the Italian team’s rider line-up for two years. His first season in red also turned out to be his most successful in the overall standings.

Three MotoGP victories as a Ducati factory rider

After a difficult start to the season, Miller secured two victories in the space of just seven days in 2021. He first triumphed at Jerez, then went on to win at Le Mans. With a total of five podium finishes, he finished the World Championship in fourth place – his best-ever result in a MotoGP season.

Emotional: Mit Ducati gewann Jack Miller drei MotoGP-Rennen

Foto: Gold & Goose

In 2022, too, Miller was regularly among the front-runners. He had seven podium finishes to his name by the end of the season. At the Japanese Grand Prix in Motegi, the Australian dominated and celebrated his fourth and, to date, last MotoGP victory. He finished the season in fifth place in the World Championship.

Despite his successes, there was no future for Miller in the Ducati factory team. For 2023, he moved to Red Bull KTM, where he formed the factory duo alongside Brad Binder. The start was promising: at Jerez, Miller finished on the podium in both the Sprint and the Grand Prix, followed by another podium finish in the Sprint at the Sachsenring.

Jack Miller fuhr 2021 und 2022 für das Ducati-Werksteam

Foto: Gold & Goose

However, Miller was unable to replicate the successes of his Ducati days on the RC16. After a difficult 2024 season, he lost his place in the KTM factory team. At times, it was even in doubt whether his MotoGP career would end after just ten years.

Pramac extended Miller’s MotoGP career

Ironically, it was his former Pramac team that offered him a new opportunity. Following the split from Ducati, Paolo Campinoti’s team teamed up with Yamaha and brought Miller back for 2025. For the Australian, this also meant switching to the fourth manufacturer of his MotoGP career, following Honda, Ducati and KTM.

His sporting success remained modest on the underperforming Yamaha. Fifth place in Austin was Miller’s best result of the 2025 season. Even with the new V4 Yamaha, the hoped-for return to the top has so far eluded him in 2026. After 13 race weekends, the Australian sits 19th in the World Championship standings with 28 points.

Jack Miller und Toprak Razgatlioglu mit der Yamaha für die Saison 2026

Foto: Pramac Yamaha

At the end of August, Yamaha finally confirmed that their partnership in the MotoGP project would end after the season. For 2027, Pramac is banking on Moto2 home-grown talent Izan Guevara alongside Toprak Razgatlioglu – and Miller decided against retiring from racing.

Instead, a new chapter is beginning for ‘Jackass’ in the Superbike World Championship. Miller remains associated with Yamaha and is moving to the factory team in the production-based world championship, where he will take over the R1 from Xavi Vierge. As well as the races in the World Superbike Championship, further appearances at the Suzuka 8 Hours – which Miller thoroughly enjoys – are on the cards.

His MotoGP record is already impressive. Since his extraordinary direct entry into the series in 2015, Miller has celebrated four Grand Prix victories, stood on the podium 23 times and secured two pole positions. His years with Ducati between 2018 and 2022, in particular, made him a regular contender for podium places.

However, his MotoGP story is not quite over yet. Starting with Misano, Miller has an exciting autumn of MotoGP racing ahead of him and the chance to add one final highlight to his twelve-year career in the premier class.