The Australian started Sunday’s 22-lap season-opener from fourth, but lost ground immediately and began to experience power problems.
Miller says he was getting power from the engine in “very strange points” of the Losail circuit, while exiting onto the main straight he had none and was scared about “getting run up the arse” by bikes behind.
As a result, he elected to retire at the end of lap seven – with neither factory team Ducati rider finishing the Qatar GP in the end, after teammate Francesco Bagnaia crashed into Pramac’s Jorge Martin on lap 12.
“Yeah, I mean from the get-go the bike wasn’t fantastic,” Miller said.
“There was something missing in the electronics, the bike was quite lost, let’s say.
“I had 100% power in some very, very strange points on the track and then coming onto the front straight I had no power, I had to go to fourth gear pretty much directly. At the last corner everyone was passing me.
“I honestly thought I was going to get run up the ass coming out of the last corner because I was that slow. The sectors were all off, so electronics issue. I tried everything I could, swapped from map A, B, C, system on, system off.
Jack Miller, Ducati Team
Photo by: Gold and Goose / Motorsport Images
“I tried my best, but at one point – especially over the back part of the track – kept firing me off.
“I’d be between corners and it would give me a massive burst of throttle. Of course, my [throttle] grip’s open, but I wasn’t expecting that.
“Then also the fear of getting run up the arse every time I come out of the last corner, because I was on the racing line and not accelerating. It was just better to pull in. Not a great day.”
Miller says Ducati knows what caused the issue, adding: “Nothing to learn from that [race].
“The bike was foreign, very foreign. It is what it is, we know the issue, we know what happened. It’s unfortunate but hopefully it won’t happen again.”