That year, Joan Mir and Jack Miller had often got into an argument on the final lap of the races. It happened in Qatar, then again in Misano, and finally in Austin. At turn 16, the world champion’s Suzuki hit the Australian Ducati while attempting to overtake them and ended up with Bastianini overtaking both of them.
“First of all I would like to apologize as I do not like to make contact when overtaking,“Explained Johanna. “I had problems accelerating and overtaking, even though Miller was much slower than me, so I waited for the final lap to prepare for an overtaking. I did it in the first sector of the track, in the chicane, but on the straight he was back in front, then he just tried to close the lanes. He drove a little strange. When he turned sixteen he made a very tight line. I didn’t expect it. I went to the curb, just trying to avoid the impact at this point, but I touched him. Fortunately we didn’t fall, but Bastianini overtook us. “
The stewards judged Mir’s maneuver out of line and downgraded him by one position.
“I don’t understand the punishment. If that is the case, we will no longer be able to try to overtake and the races will lose their essence“Complained the Suzuki driver. “The commissioners weren’t the same as in Qatar when the same thing happened to Jack to me. Maybe they were on vacation today. I was waiting on the straight for him to apologize, but he threatened me the Australian way, ”he said jokingly. “I understand he was angry and I can’t say anything bad about him. I apologize. “
If the punishment was too severe for Joan, it was too soft for Miller.
“There is not much to say. On the last lap he repeated what he had done to me at Misano. He got me out and I was overtaken by two drivers, ”commented the Australian. “I couldn’t do anything else. I suffered at the front and I protected my trajectory. At this point. he had no place to overtake me. It was a similar maneuver to Aegerter’s with Torres in MotoE, with the difference that in this case he received a 30-second penalty. Fortunately, I didn’t fall.”
Jack closed the matter there before discussing another overtaking he would allow Bagnaia to do.
“I was fast at the beginning of the race and he was at the end. At that moment he was moving faster than me and I didn’t want to mess with him, ”he explained. “It’s always better to do one less overtaking maneuver. With Quartararo he was able to limit the damage and now we are first in both the constructors’ and the team championships. “