The clash between Australian MotoGP star Jack Miller and Joan Mir left the reigning world champion less impressed. Images: MotoGP / Getty Images
Jack Miller’s miserable start to the MotoGP season has continued in a disastrous Doha Grand Prix for the Australian, the one Furious dusting in the middle of the race with world champion Joan Mir before a hand problem put him back in ninth place.
“I don’t want another race like this,” Miller said after admitting that shortly before the finish on Sunday he did not feel the front brake lever on his Ducati due to another numb hand that may need electronic treatment this week.
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After Frenchman Fabio Quartararo won the Qatar race, Miller had to consider an extremely disappointing launch pad for his campaign after doing as badly as he did on his similarly lackluster ninth start at the opener last weekend
After looking great testing his new factory Ducati, the 26-year-old Townsville racer has been widely touted as one of the men to beat this season, but after two laps he is now falling to ninth place overall return.
He was also at the center of angry allegations when Mir claimed the Australian purposely bumped into him at nearly 200 km / h on the pit straight during the race.
Miller himself had aggressively overtaken me and the pair even touched each other in the battle for fifth place on lap 13, which led to another dust-up shortly afterwards when they met on the straight.
The incident was investigated and was only classified as a racing incident, but afterwards I said, “We almost fell on the straight so I think it was super risky, it was a super dangerous maneuver.
“I think that was on purpose … and I think Jack didn’t show any respect on this one.”
Miller, who had gestured to Me in the heat of their engagement, did not complain afterwards, however, saying he thought it was a normal racing incident.
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“There were a few contacts but it was the way the race was going, there seemed to be a bit of contact here and there. It was just one of those things,” he shrugged.
“We both saw what happened … and then drove on, so not really much from that side of things. I think I’ve been hit three times already.”
Jack Miller worries about persistent arm problems
Miller will have been a lot more worried about the end of his race where he even lost a few places on the last lap.
Miller, who had an arm operation late last year, said, “I mean, I felt fantastic up to the last four laps and then I couldn’t really feel the front brake lever anymore.
“I’ve had it in the past and I’ve had a different treatment, not so much an operation as an electronic treatment that cracked open the fascia.”
Jack Miller struggled with an arm discomfort and eventually lost places in the dying phase of the Qatar GP. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP via Getty Images)
In the lead, Yamaha’s Quartararo, who finished ninth at the end of the first lap, took a massive win after overtaking both second-placed Johann Zarco and third-placed Jorge Martin on their Pramac Racing Ducatis in a single lap.
“I didn’t win many races, but that was a very special win,” said Quartararo.
Zarco, who also finished second last week, leads the championship after two races – four points ahead of Quartararo and Maverick Vinales.
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